On 21/11/05, Carlos E. R.
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The Sunday 2005-11-20 at 21:03 -0500, James Knott wrote:
Except if it is maken a law. Users of a program abandoned by the company might them claim protection, ie, forced disclosure of the code.
That's called expropriation. How'd you feel, if the govermnent decided to take some of your land, because you weren't doing anything with it?
No, that's not the same. It is as if I'm making "cars", and at some point I'm out of business, or now I make planes. After some time, the patent for "cars" expires, and anybody can make "cars".
My goverment, by the way, was thinking of expropiating houses if not in use...
As much as I support open source software, doing what you propose still amounts to theft of someone's property and is extremely offensive.
A law can take into account such things, including payment for the expropriated land as seen fit. I'm not proposing theft.
Another example. Suppose that all documents were done in "wordfine". At sometime, that company dies, or refuses to maintain that software. A lot of documentation could be inaccessible, and the damage to the public would be great. It could be contended that in the public interest the "wordfine" code be expropriated.
- -- Cheers, Carlos Robinson
Absolutely nothing to do with SuSE Linux of course but the British Government, many years (centuries) took the people's land for themselves. It was called the Enclosures Act. It was still stealing/theft. -- ============================================== I am only human, please forgive me if I make a mistake it is not deliberate. ============================================== Take care. Kevan Farmer 34 Hill Street Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire WS6 7HR