Hello to all, Probably this subject has already been discused, but I would like to answer if it is legal to copy SuSE's CDs (I own SuSE 8.0 Personal) to a friend (actually my brother)! What about the commercial packages, like Star Office 5.2? The licence of YaST2 claims that you cannot copy and sell the program, so you can copy it without charging for it. Is it right? The SuSE's site says that you can install Linux to an unlimited number of computers! But is it legal to copy the CDs? Thanks
This is not an answer, since I don't speak for SuSE. However, Star Office 5.2 is freely available. However, Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org) is essentially Star Office 6.0, and is free and unencumbered. it is available for both Linux and well as Windows. I personally use it to prepare my classroom lectures. Assitionally, I installed OpenOffice on my Windows 2000 system at work as my default Office product. So far I have not found any significant compatibility issues. I did report a bug where a Star Office 5.2 Impress document, read into Open Office, and subsequently saved as a Power Point Document had problems in MS Power Point. The OO team has fixed the bug and incorporated the fix in the next release of OO and Star Office. Other than a few minor anomalies, I would recommend Open Office. On 26 Sep 2002 at 17:10, åçà ç âî - Konstanti wrote:
Probably this subject has already been discused, but I would like to answer if it is legal to copy SuSE's CDs (I own SuSE 8.0 Personal) to a friend (actually my brother)! What about the commercial packages, like Star Office 5.2? The licence of YaST2 claims that you cannot copy and sell the program, so you can copy it without charging for it. Is it right? The SuSE's site says that you can install Linux to an unlimited number of computers! But is it legal to copy the CDs?
--
Jerry Feldman
* ???????????? ??????? - Konstantinos Gerakis (ch98105@central.ntua.gr) [020926 07:11]:
Probably this subject has already been discused, but I would like to answer if it is legal to copy SuSE's CDs (I own SuSE 8.0 Personal) to a friend (actually my brother)!
Of course. The only all of the non-free software is in the 'pay' (also includes shareware like xv) series so if you omit that you are fine. -- -ckm
::Probably this subject has already been discused, but I would like to answer if ::it is legal to copy SuSE's CDs (I own SuSE 8.0 Personal) to a friend ::(actually my brother)! Yes, as long as you don't sell your brother/friend a copy for $40. ;) It's mainly the YaST2 license which has perpetuated the myth that SuSE is one box..one person/computer. The issue is that you or anyone else can't just modify YaST2 and sell it / give it away as their own. As far as the "commerical" software on the CD's..most of them are demo's or have licenses that specify what the user can or can't do. -- Ben Rosenberg ---===---===---===--- mailto:ben@whack.org Tell me what you believe.. I tell you what you should see.
Ben Rosenberg said:
::Probably this subject has already been discused, but I would like to answer if ::it is legal to copy SuSE's CDs (I own SuSE 8.0 Personal) to a friend ::(actually my brother)!
Yes, as long as you don't sell your brother/friend a copy for $40. ;)
It's mainly the YaST2 license which has perpetuated the myth that SuSE is one box..one person/computer. The issue is that you or anyone else can't just modify YaST2 and sell it / give it away as their own.
Actually you can give it away. And you can't even claim GPLed software as your own (the original author still retains copyright even if he allows you to do stuff) so that has never been an issue. As the song says it's all about the money! //Anders
At 26/09/2002 10:48, Ben Rosenberg wrote:
::Probably this subject has already been discused, but I would like to answer if ::it is legal to copy SuSE's CDs (I own SuSE 8.0 Personal) to a friend ::(actually my brother)!
Yes, as long as you don't sell your brother/friend a copy for $40. ;)
But you CAN charge for the copying and the CD media
Jon Biddell said:
At 26/09/2002 10:48, Ben Rosenberg wrote:
::Probably this subject has already been discused, but I would like to answer if ::it is legal to copy SuSE's CDs (I own SuSE 8.0 Personal) to a friend ::(actually my brother)!
Yes, as long as you don't sell your brother/friend a copy for $40. ;)
But you CAN charge for the copying and the CD media
Maybe, but not if the YaST license is to be taken at face value <quote> It is forbidden to reproduce or distribute data carriers which have been reproduced without authorisation for payment without the prior written consent of SuSE Linux AG or SuSE Linux. </quote> Note that it says "for payment", and I can't find an exception for cost of work or price of media or even price of shipping. Of course, this may be "implicitly allowed", but I think the idea is to prevent people selling CDs on eBay for $1 per CD. //Anders
On Friday 27 September 2002 00:37, Anders Johansson wrote:
Yes, as long as you don't sell your brother/friend a copy for $40. ;)
But you CAN charge for the copying and the CD media
Maybe, but not if the YaST license is to be taken at face value
<quote> It is forbidden to reproduce or distribute data carriers which have been reproduced without authorisation for payment without the prior written consent of SuSE Linux AG or SuSE Linux. </quote>
Note that it says "for payment", and I can't find an exception for cost of work or price of media or even price of shipping.
Of course, this may be "implicitly allowed", but I think the idea is to prevent people selling CDs on eBay for $1 per CD.
//Anders
OK, this means that you can copy the CDs for personal use without charging for them. But, to be totally legal, you have to exclude from your copies packages belonging to "pay series", right? For example StarOffice5.2's license says that: "...You have no right to distribute the Software...." and "...You may make copies of Software only for your internal use provided that you reproduce all notices in and on Software, including this Agreement...." So, according to the above you CAN NOT copy all the contents of SuSE CDs. And something else: when SuSE says in its site that "if one of your friends is interested in Linux and its applications, you are allowed to "lend" your Linux. Everybody can install and use it - it is totally legal! ", means that you are allowed to install Linux to another computer, only by using the same CDs? Thanks! -- Κωνσταντίνος Γεράκης (Konstantinos Gerakis)
participants (7)
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Anders Johansson
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Ben Rosenberg
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Christopher Mahmood
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Jerry Feldman
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Jon Biddell
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Κωνσταντίνος Γεράκης
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Κωνσταντίνος Γεράκης - Konstantinos Gerakis