Re: [Fsuk-manchester] [DEB] If You Support Free Software, Talk To Your MP Now

[Lucy]

On 15 March 2010 17:27, Robert Burrell Donkin
<address@hidden> wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 12:17 PM, Jon Spriggs <address@hidden> wrote:
>> I checked on this issue with Glyn Moody - an investigative reporter who
>> follows stories related to free and open source software. His response was
>> that the copyright notices issued in GPL Licensed Software should be
>> sufficient to resolve this.
>
> then glen needs to check his facts :-)
>
> (it's forgivable since the bill is poorly drafted and isn't understood
> by ministers - but that's what you get when you allow laws to be
> written by lobbyists)
>
> the GPL can only be enforced in the absence of other licenses (read
> the preamble or any of the commentaries)
>
> DEB allows ministers to issue additional unconditional licenses for
> orphaned works
>
> pretty much all software works are orphaned (it's a list checking
> exercise not about actual ownership)

If a program has a GPL license statement at the top of the file, how
can it be considered orphaned?