Re: [future of drivers?] a proposal for binary drivers.

From: Dagfinn Ilmari MannsÃker
Date: Thu Mar 09 2006 - 06:38:39 EST


"David Schwartz" <davids@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

> If the law allowed you to give your software away for free and
> then put restrictions on use, you could drop copies of a poem from an
> airplane (or put it up on a billboard) and then demand royalties from
> everyone who read it.

No. Copyright does not cover reading. It covers the distribution of
copies (and derived works) of works. You could just fine drop copies of
a poem from an airplain and then demand royalties from everoyone who
distributes additional copies of it (copies they made, not the copies
you dropped, cf. the doctrine of first sale).

--
ilmari
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