Fwd: svn commit: r15034 - trunk/doc/po

Tigris will not let me reply to the commit list, even though I am
subscribed, so sorry for the thread breakage.

Simon

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Simon Large <simon.tortoisesvn_at_googlemail.com>
Date: 2009/1/7
Subject: Re: svn commit: r15034 - trunk/doc/po
To: commits <commits_at_tortoisesvn.tigris.org>

2009/1/7 Lübbe Onken <luebbetigris_at_spamfence.net>:
> Stefan wrote:
>
>> This has nothing to do with what *we* think is better or easier to do.
>> It is what the collab.net lawyers told 'us' to do (there was a
>> discussion on the svn dev list about this, which was when the lawyers
>> got involved). Basically, the copyright is only valid if the years are
>> correct. And the years are only correct if the file actually got some
>> value added - only then must the copyright year change.
>
> Is it really true that lawyers rule the world? Never heard such a crap before.
>
> Does this mean, reverting the reasoning, that when I change something
> in 2008 but forget to increment the copyright from 2007 to 2008, that
> I don't have the copyright anymore?

No, I think it just means that your great-grandchildren could lose 1
year's donations from TSVN ;-)

Copyright law is arcane and probably varies from country to country. A
summary of the US version is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Act_of_1976#Term_of_protection

It may be valid for a fixed period after publication or alternatively
until a fixed time after the author's death, so the date may or may
not be relevant. But changing the date without changing the published
work would not be allowed.

Simon

--
:       ___
:  oo  // \\      "De Chelonian Mobile"
: (_,\/ \_/ \     TortoiseSVN
:   \ \_/_\_/>    The coolest Interface to (Sub)Version Control
:   /_/   \_\     http://tortoisesvn.net