[comp.os.minix] PD / Re: Selling of free software

oz@yunexus.yorku.ca (Ozan Yigit) (08/10/90)

In article <7268@star.cs.vu.nl> ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) writes:

>This is correct.  If you post a program and put in an explicit message that
>it is in the public domain, then no one can get it out of the public domain.

This is absolutely true.

>Anyone can modify it (even a single character) and then copyright the modified
>version

This is not. Copyright laws do not allow "trivial" derivations of public
domain works to be copyrighted.

>I would suggest that people who post software and intend it to be in the
>public domain, put in a notice to that effect.

Yes, please. 

oz
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