[gentoo-dev] Re: Initial ChangeLog Copyright years

[Duncan <1i5t5.duncan@cox.net>]

Petteri Räty <betelgeuse@gentoo.org> posted 463DB3D3.2020209@gentoo.org,
excerpted below, on  Sun, 06 May 2007 13:54:11 +0300:

> expose@luftgetrock.net kirjoitti:
>> Am Sonntag 06 Mai 2007 12:15 schrieb Petteri Räty:
>>> +# ChangeLog for dev-java/jid3
>>> +# Copyright 1999-2007 Gentoo Foundation; Distributed under the GPL v2
>>> +# $Header: $
>>>
>>> Shouldn't this be 2007-2007 or just 2007?
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Petteri
>> 
>> As I am not a lawyer,
>> what would happen if years are left out completely? If it just said
>> "Copyright held by Gentoo Foundation" or so?
>> 
>> And, somewhat offtopic, what happens to the copyright of a file saying
>> "Copyright 2007 John Doe" if 2007 is over?
> 
> Neither am I but from what I remember, the years are about the years it
> has been worked on.

Not me either, but while AFAIK you are correct, there's more to it than 
that.  I was half way into writing a longer explanation when I decided it 
would be far better to mention wikipedia as a good place to start 
looking.  While anyone could edit it to say whatever, it's as 
authoritative as posts here are likely to be, and is a good place to 
start for further research, if desired.  One comment, however.  Do note 
that under the Berne convention, copyright is automatic and doesn't have 
to be claimed.  To specifically avoid copyright, however, one can declare 
works to be public domain, which is what they are after the copyright 
expires, as well.  (Specifically stating copyright, along with copyright 
registration, can help in pursuing legal cases against violators, 
however, so Gentoo is wise to include that notice.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

See also the advice given by the FSF in regard to copyright, which the 
GPL and etc. depend on for enforcement, and Lawrence Lessig's writings 
and the Creative Commons organization he founded.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

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