Re: copyright documentation for swarmdocs?

[Alex Lancaster]

>>>>> "PB" == Paul Box <address@hidden> writes:

PB> OK, here's one I didn't expect to be asking this list about.  I
PB> downloaded the postscript versions of the swarmdocs the other day,
PB> and after a couple of days of tending the printer I was able to
PB> print out the 400+ page reference manual.  I gave this to one of
PB> the other faculty members in our swarm community here, and he
PB> kindly printed out a few copies at our local copy center and
PB> provided them to each of the groups that are using swarm.

PB> This afternoon, I decided to make a couple of more copies, and
PB> sent a student down to the copy center with the documents in hand
PB> to get the job done.  This time, the clerks of the copy center
PB> balked, pointing to the copyright on the first or second page,
PB> saying that they could not reproduce "copyrighted" material.  I
PB> explained the terms of the GNU liscence to the clerk, which she
PB> relayed to her manager, to which the manager wished to see some
PB> written confirmation.  When I produced the GNU CC manual, which
PB> has a clause about permission to reproduce without alteration, she
PB> pointed out that that did not constitute "written permission from
PB> the Santa Fe Institute" (who owns the copyright).

Interesting.  Well at the moment the `set' reference guide has a legal
reference to the copying terms of Swarm itself, but not really to the
documentation.  Actually, the only reference to Copyright is the `line
Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Santa Fe Institute'.  So there's
nowhere where we actually say: `you must get the written permission of
the Santa Fe Institute'.  (Nor anywhere we say that you don't need to,
which is where copying place people get a little paranoid, I guess).

PB> I suppose I can just take the stack to the copy center that did
PB> the first set of copies.  However, is there any clause in the
PB> swarm documents that gives express permission to reproduce

I'm in the process of generating the new reference docs and I'll check
with our more legally-minded folks around here about just exactly what
to say.  I think we need to make a distinction between the licence
that Swarm itself is distributed under (the LGPL) and the licence that
the docs are distributed under (the GPL) and make an explicit
statement that these can be copied without permission (some of the
GNU/FSF documentation has statements to this effect).

PB> documents?  Was I actually breaking the law with the first set of
PB> copies?  Is there a legal distinction between printing from a
PB> laser printer and a copy machine?

You weren't breaking the law as far as we are concerned.  The bottom
line is: you shouldn't have to be running around trying to get
`written permission' just to get copies of our documentation!

Regards,

 ---- Alex

-- 
  Alex Lancaster           |  e-mail: address@hidden
  Swarm Program            |     web: http://www.santafe.edu/~alex
  Santa Fe Institute       |     tel: +1-(505) 984-8800 (ext 242)
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