Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Abbott
It only gets complex when people try to abuse it - which lawyers love making money out of.
It's only a 'minefield' if you make it one.
Considering that X-Copy was the favorite tool of immoral Amiga fans seeking to violate copyright laws, the idea that its own code should be protected by copyright is perverse.
But that's not why I wouldn't go near it. The program is needlessly non OS-friendly and pathetically buggy, so reading the source code would probably rot my brain.
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The issue is that copyright protection is by default and nothing is allowed. A license is what would allow any copying or modifying.
There's also another important reason to have a license: Liability. Most open source licenses legally ensure authors are protected from being responsible for any damages caused by the use of the software.