Re: Some topics

[Conrad Parker <conradp cse unsw edu au>]

On Wed, Oct 04, 2000 at 10:04:40PM -0500, Dan Mueth wrote:
> 
> Ok.  If the format supports it, then we need (1) a tool which will allow
> us to insert and edit the strings, and (2) a format for the
> strings.  (2) can be as simple as just "Copyright 2000 Erik Jarvi under
> Open Content License".  Or, it can be a nice XML-based metadata
> system.  I think if we can find a tool which can add or edit a comment in
> a .wav or .au file, even a simple command line script, we would be in good
> shape here.

yep. If using existing audio formats, I think the Copyright comment should
be plain text so that existing tools (including non-free tools over
which we can exert no control) can disply the notice correctly, and
also read and write it back appropriately.

A big part of the problem with our tools not understanding the text
tags is that if someone takes a sound, edits it a little and then
saves it back, any Copyright info we have placed in the sound will
not be reproduced in the new version.

> I wonder if we could use the GPL.  If the GPL is applicable to sounds
> (which I'm not sure if it is or not), I'm not sure if it actually prevents
> people from using your sound in a proprietary application, provided the
> sound is unaltered.  Looking at the GPL, if the object is not modified, it
> looks like the "source code" can be copied verbatim by anybody provided
> the license is preserved.  So if I am not mistaken, a commercial
> application could ship your sound in its original format along with the
> app and then play it as part of the application.

It is my understanding that the GPL is not applicable to files of binary
data. I have heard that RMS chooses a simple "free use" license for
such data.

Thus the license I placed on the sounds I made last week was:

  "Copying, modification and redistribution of these sounds in any
  medium is expressly permitted."

I would have put a phrase like "as long as this copyright notice remains
attached" except that the files, out of the context of the accompanying
web page or tarball, couldn't have had the license attached with our
usual tools!

Conrad.