The Python 1.6 License Explained

Paul Robinson paul.robinson at quantisci.co.uk
Thu Aug 24 06:42:38 EDT 2000


> "Guido van Rossum" <guido at beopen.com> wrote in message
> > I personally believe that copyright law needs to be updated to include
> > websites under publication, but that's another battle, and it's not
> > mine...

Alex Martelli wrote: 
> I'm not sure I agree.  Say that I provide a 1-900 number you can dial
> to hear me read my poem; would you want to consider this publication?
> It seems a clear case of public performance to me.  Of course you could
> record the call, just as you could record many sorts of public displays
> or performances, but that does not change the issue.

Surely there is a notable difference with the "document or software
available from a website" case. The work in question, although simply
being displayed in some sense is also available to be copied in a way
that differs from recording a telephone call or copying the words of a
poem from a notice board. The work is available to be copied in an exact
way - a consumer of this work can effectively retrieve an exact copy of
the original.
IMHO this makes it different, although possibly falling between the two
cases and therefore creating a nasty ambiguity ;-)

>  Now, if, instead
> of having you call a phone number to hear me read my poem, I let you
> listen to that same audio performance by visiting a website, what is
> changed, to make this publication rather than performance?

Well that's *obviously* <wink> a case of publishing a performance -
which takes us into another grey area!!

	Paul.

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