Re: Why is Nvidia given GPL'd code to use in non-free drivers?

David Schwartz (davids@webmaster.com)
Sun, 5 Jan 2003 14:06:46 -0800


On Sun, 5 Jan 2003 21:46:37 +0000 (UTC), Henning P. Schmiedehausen
wrote:

>Wrong. You buy a license from Microsoft and a media (CD/DVD). Read
>the
>end user license agreement (EULA). You're allowed to resell the
>media
>but not the license. "Unfortunately" for Microsoft, this distinction
>is illegal in free countries like Germany [1]. So M$ lost in court
>and
>you can legally buy "OEM" versions for a fraction of the "boxed"
>price
>and resell your licenses.

>AFAIK, in the U.S. you cannot resell the license legally once you
>accepted the EULA (i.e. opened the box). And dealers must not resell
>unbundled OEM software.

>Now, who's living in a free country again?

We are. Freedom includes the freedom to set whatever terms you want
on what other people do with what is yours. Of course, it also
includes the freedom not to buy things that come with restrictive
licenses.

DS

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