Documentation vs. Software (Re: Savannah rejects a project because it uses GPL)

Alfred M. Szmidt ams at gnu.org
Sat Feb 25 11:15:27 UTC 2006


   Let's say I write a shoot-em-up game, where you're shooting aliens
   (similar to, say, Doom). I release that under GPL.

   Now, someone else comes along and changes the game (which they're
   perfectly entitled to do under GPL, obviously). Instead of shooting
   at aliens, you're now shooting Shia Muslims, as an example.

They had to add new material to do this, i.e. change the pictures of
the monsters into Shia Muslims.  So it isn't as simple as
`modification'.

   Under UK law, that would be incitement to religious hatred, and
   illegal.  Using your logic, because I allowed anyone to modify my
   work, I can be sued. This is clearly ridiculous.

But this wasn't an clear modification, it was the addition of new
material too.

Also, this is something a bit different then just "changing" what a
person thinks.  It isn't even close to changing the sentence `The Shia
Muslims are people' into `The Shia Muslims are FOO'.

   PS. Slander is verbal attack on a person, Libel is a written
   attack.  Given that we're talking about GFDL works, I assume you
   meant libel previously?

Yeah, thanks.  The written word vs. the spoken one often get mixed up
in electronic discussions for some odd reason.

Cheers.



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