On 07-Sep-06, at 12:39 PM, Nachiketa Sadhu wrote:
Copyright law (on whose foundations the gpl derives it's legal standing) allows for revocation of any rights granted by the orginal copyright holder. Hence the holder can revoke the rights granted by the gpl (or any other right so granted under the provisions of coyright).
But can it be revoked with retrospect effect? Unless that is the fact, then this discussion is academic. Any software released will in all perpetuity be still under GPL and free.
nothing can be revoked with retrospective effect. eg: I give a license in march 2008. You use the software from april 2008. I revoke the license in march 2009. I can prevent you from using the software without paying the license fee from march 2009 onwards. Retrospective effect means getting you to pay for the software from april 2008 onwards. This is not possible.