Re: Copyright/Distribution questions (Emacs/Orgmode)

[Jambunathan K]

"Stephen J. Turnbull" <address@hidden> writes:

> Karl Fogel writes:
>
>  > As a purely legal question: I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal
>  > advice, but I don't believe you can retroactively withdraw your
>  > copyright assignment
>
> Be careful.  One clearly can't "withdraw the assignment" on files that
> Emacs has received, 

Emacs hasn't received my files.  It is part of Org-8.0's mainline.  I
want to selectively withhold assignment for just those two files and not
for my other contributions to Emacs.

I will propose and re-visit the assignment in favor of FSF and inclusion
in GNU ELPA, after a substantial period has passed. 

I am striking (think, "workers strike").  Free software will continue to
have my sympathies, FWIW.  I don't want to support or continue
contributing to Orgmode as long as the current maintainer is reigning.
IMNSHO - others agreeing or disagreeing with my opinion doesn't matter
to me, I make my own conclusions - he is acting in a way that is *not*
in the interest of Orgmode in the long run.

I can make assignment come at some future date - a future dated cheque,
so to speak - even as I right.

> because the FSF now owns the copyright.  You can
> terminate assign.future, and that would affect any files in the
> pipeline.  IANAL, but this is based on real legal advice from a real
> lawyer (I decided not to do it for the reasons you give).
>
> Again, IANAL, but I suppose that the "date of receipt" and the
> definition of "Emacs receiving" almost certainly[sic] don't correspond
> to our intuitive concepts.  I even wonder if experienced lawyers would
> necessarily agree on those terms.

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