Re: BK kernel workflow

Kevin P. Fleming
2004-10-28T19:39:05Z

David Schwartz wrote:

> As I understand the law, at least in the United States, you have the exact
> same rights whether you buy the product or get it for free, so long as you
> acquire it legally.

But there's the rub: acquiring it legally (for free) requires acceptance
of the license terms. If you do not accept the terms, or accept them but
later take actions which violate the terms you accepted, you can no
longer say that you "acquired it legally". You have violated the terms
of the agreement between the two parties, and the party that owns the
copyright to the product in question has every right to take action
against you, if warranted.

You are correct in saying that the mere act of money changing hands does
_not_ give you any rights that you wouldn't have gotten for free,
presuming that the license being offered in both cases gives you the
same rights. In the case of BitKeeper, it does not. The free and for-pay
licenses give the licensee different rights.