Re: EMC - a practical implementation?

[Jon Elson <jmelson-at-artsci.wustl.edu>]

Brian Bartholomew wrote:

>
> | This cannot happen.  The software may NOT be copyrighted by a 3rd
> | party, and anyone attempting to do so may become a violator of
> | federal law.  The can sell it as part of a package.  But, they
> | probably can't sell it (the software) standalone for more than a
> | reasonable cost of media and production.  And, they absolutely,
> | certainly cannot prevent anyone else from using it, distributing it
> | or selling it.  This would be almost like somebody coming in the
> | night, stealing your car and then leasing it back to you.  Property
> | they CLEARLY DO NOT OWN cannot become theirs, just because they say
> | so.  I'm sure NIST knows how to deal with this sort of thing, it
> | must have come up before.
>
> I'm confused.  I thought EMC, as required for tax-funded government-
> developed software, was public domain.  The design goal of such terms
> is that companies commercialize it, because this is thought to
> distribute the created value back to taxpayers the best.

Yes, clearly a company can take advantage of the code, use it
in a product, and sell that product.  Indeed, that's the idea.
But, that company CAN NOT claim they now OWN the code, and
no one else may use it!  That is entirely OPPOSITE of the idea!

And, that is what someone was bemoaning as the fate of EMC,
that some company would "take it over", start selling it on a CD,
and everyone would have to buy the right to use it from that
company.  That WILL not happen!

Jon