[cc-licenses] license draft usage scenario questions
Peter Brink
peter.brink at brinkdata.se
Mon Oct 30 16:45:36 EST 2006
drew Roberts skrev:
>>
>>> [Peter]
>>> To "distribute" is to make a work available to the general public.
>>> Copying is not distribution.
>
> Is this a feature or a bug? How does this line up with how the GPL handles it
> for programs?
>
I was a bit imprecise. When you distribute a copyrightable work it's
implied that the work is made available to the general public. Obviously
you also make copies of a work when you distribute. But if you make 100
copies of a work and store those in your closet then those 100 copies
has not been distributed to anyone, they are just copies. You are not
allowed to make that many copies without permission, but the license (CC
licenses or, for example, the GPL) grants you that right and it also
grants you the right to distribute the copies. The difference between
distribution and copying is therefore mainly whether the copies are made
available to the general public.
What is the general public? As far as copyright law goes, probably not
more than five people, but this varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
It's worth remembering that neither "distribute" or "copy" are concepts
originating from the license, they are part of the lingua of copyright law.
/Peter Brink
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