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cc-bizcom - Re: [Cc-bizcom] Can Open Src Projects be Acquired?

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Subject: A discussion of hybrid open source and proprietary licensing models.

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  • From: Andrea Glorioso <sama AT miu-ft.org>
  • To: cc-bizcom AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Cc-bizcom] Can Open Src Projects be Acquired?
  • Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 14:51:02 +0200

>>>>> "Marshall" == Marshall W Van Alstyne <marshall AT MIT.EDU> writes:

> Here's an interesting post from Slashdot suggesting that they
> can... Posted by <http://cmdrtaco.net/>CmdrTaco on Tuesday
> April 26, @11:11AM from the i-just-don't-get-this-one dept.
> <http://startup.blogscorp.com>prostoalex writes "Can an open
> source project be acquired? ZDNet's Between The Lines
> <http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/index.php?p=1306>says yes, one just
> did. Software startup JasperSoft acquired Sourceforge-based
> project <http://jasperreports.sourceforge.net/>JasperReports,
> which involved acquiring the copyrights and hiring the lead
> developer for the project." I guess the point he tries to make
> is that the new corporate overloads can essentially have a free
> and non-free version of the code, and more or less orphan the
> free version. The problem of course is that if the non-free
> version gets good, others will simply fork.

I don't want to sound unpolite, but.. so what? This is basic
copyright law at work, nothing new under the sun. Actually, I believe
that the question "can open source projects be acquired?" is
misleading in its wording, because what can be acquired (or changed,
or rent, or whatever) are the economic rights over a work - moral
rights can't, but I guess this is not a problem for the US law system.
All of this, assuming the "seller" has all the rights over a work,
which in most FLOSS projets is not the case, as far as I know.

Maybe I'm missing something relevant, and I admit I didn't read the
comments on Slashdot (I only have that many hours to spend in a day
:).

Ciao,

--
Andrea Glorioso sama AT miu-ft.org +39 333 820 5723
.:: Media Innovation Unit - Firenze Tecnologia ::.
Conquering the world for fun and profit

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