Software should be free, but not autographs
David Kramer
david at thekramers.net
Sun Apr 30 12:03:28 EDT 2006
Bill Ricker wrote:
> Ho hum. If RMS started charging for grapes at SciFi conventions, that
> would be shocking.
>
> For FSF to charge for souvenir celebrity autograph/photo as a
> fund-raiser, hey, whatever works. When you don't charge for your
> primary IP output, fundraising has to be creative. Since the death of
> dialup and the ubiquity of distros, they're probably not getting many
> $10 tape handling fees.
>
> F/LOSS licensing is appropriate for source code, but as has been noted
> in the Debian dispute over the GFDL, licensing of other forms of IP
> gets into other issues. Maddog is carfully protecting Linus's rights
> in his eponymous trademark, as he should. Celebrities -- among which
> RMS can be counted -- have certain rights to their "image", whjch is
> worthy of protection. For RMS to use that for the good of the mission,
> as Linux, maddog, and the LMI are with the trademark, makes good
> sense.
Oh, I absolutely agree. I just posted it for the humor value. If he
were pocketing the money himself, that might be different. Maybe.
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