4 ms·

Which is not a thing in my jurisdiction, and so as far as I can tell it’s treated as being proprietary and unlicensed.

rustc 2y ago
Is using SQLite without buying a license [1] really illegal in your jurisdiction? [1]: https://www.sqlite.org/purchase/license https://www.sqlite.org/purchase/license
- Filligree 2y ago
  As far as I can tell, yes. It's a grey zone, because it'd fall under civil law, not criminal; so SQLite's copyright owners would need to bring suit against me for it to matter, which I don't believe they will. However, on the face of it I have no right to use the software without buying a license.
- nicbn 2y ago
  Would it be possible for someone within a compatible jurisdiction to mirror SQLite3 and provide it under some license such that it could be used by anyone?
- franga2000 2y ago
  I don't see how it could possibly could be illegal in any jurisdiction. The only part of the US public domain that won't fly in many countries is the waiver of moral rights (mainly the right to attribution). Since my country does not allow this waiver, the authors might be able to sue me in my jurisdiction if I started claiming to be the author of the code, which would have been ok in the US. But the voluntary non-exclusive transfer of usage, modification and distribution rights is surely allowed in every jurisdiction, so there is no reason that that part of the dedication would not be valid. And if there exists a jurisdiction where the transfer of material rights isn't allowed at all, selling a license also wouldn't fix anything. Unless there's a jurisdiction out there somewhere that allows the transfer only in exchange for money or in a one-on-one contract, but then open source licenses also wouldn't apply there and I feel like I would've heard about it as a fun fact somewhere on the Internet by now...
somat 2y ago
This is an interesting case to me and thus my questions. Don't feel you need to answer to some stranger on the internet interrogating you. Public domain is largely a US government concept, I think the was the main reason that sqlite was put "in the public domain" it started and was initially payed for as an internal database for some military contract. So when Dr. H wanted to release it to the public he did it in the normal US government method which was public domain. Would you legally be able to use nasa papers or programs? these are also in the public domain. A short essay on public domain, because I am feeling a bit philosophic this morning. As far as I know public domain is a concept that originated in the US when it was a new country(probably wrong and US centric). The question was who owns works created by a government "of the people", the answer was "the people" so it was formalized that US government works were not protected by copyright[note 1] and were in the "public domain" at first this was just laws, and when government research organizations(nasa etc..) were founded their works, the research they did, was also "public domain" It really is an open question whether private citizens can also declaim any copyright on a work, declare it "for the public good" and put it in the public domain. Are you allowed to give up your rights? 1. The US government is able to protect it's works through mechanisms other than copyright, think classification levels. top secret etc..
- Filligree 2y ago
  I'm not allowed to give up my rights, no. As for NASA papers and such... I have no idea. If I were running a company I'd be able to ask a lawyer; as it stands, I'm taking the risk that the SQLite authors don't sue.
  - bmacho 2y ago
    Making your work public domain is not "giving up your rights". It would be the exact opposite: practicing your right to transfer your IP. Being able to transfer or sell your IP would be an important right. Similar to physical property: being able to sell it or to give it to the public is an important right. (Okay, you probably can't give your American land to everyone in the world, but only for practical reasons, and not for some fundamental reason like that would be "giving away your rights". No, that would be the opposite: your land, you do whatever you want with it.)

Is using SQLite without buying a license [1] really illegal in your jurisdiction? [1]: https://www.sqlite.org/purchase/license https://www.sqlite.org/purchase/license

Filligree 2y ago
As far as I can tell, yes. It's a grey zone, because it'd fall under civil law, not criminal; so SQLite's copyright owners would need to bring suit against me for it to matter, which I don't believe they will. However, on the face of it I have no right to use the software without buying a license.
nicbn 2y ago
Would it be possible for someone within a compatible jurisdiction to mirror SQLite3 and provide it under some license such that it could be used by anyone?
franga2000 2y ago
I don't see how it could possibly could be illegal in any jurisdiction. The only part of the US public domain that won't fly in many countries is the waiver of moral rights (mainly the right to attribution). Since my country does not allow this waiver, the authors might be able to sue me in my jurisdiction if I started claiming to be the author of the code, which would have been ok in the US. But the voluntary non-exclusive transfer of usage, modification and distribution rights is surely allowed in every jurisdiction, so there is no reason that that part of the dedication would not be valid. And if there exists a jurisdiction where the transfer of material rights isn't allowed at all, selling a license also wouldn't fix anything. Unless there's a jurisdiction out there somewhere that allows the transfer only in exchange for money or in a one-on-one contract, but then open source licenses also wouldn't apply there and I feel like I would've heard about it as a fun fact somewhere on the Internet by now...

somat 2y ago

This is an interesting case to me and thus my questions. Don't feel you need to answer to some stranger on the internet interrogating you. Public domain is largely a US government concept, I think the was the main reason that sqlite was put "in the public domain" it started and was initially payed for as an internal database for some military contract. So when Dr. H wanted to release it to the public he did it in the normal US government method which was public domain. Would you legally be able to use nasa papers or programs? these are also in the public domain. A short essay on public domain, because I am feeling a bit philosophic this morning. As far as I know public domain is a concept that originated in the US when it was a new country(probably wrong and US centric). The question was who owns works created by a government "of the people", the answer was "the people" so it was formalized that US government works were not protected by copyright[note 1] and were in the "public domain" at first this was just laws, and when government research organizations(nasa etc..) were founded their works, the research they did, was also "public domain" It really is an open question whether private citizens can also declaim any copyright on a work, declare it "for the public good" and put it in the public domain. Are you allowed to give up your rights? 1. The US government is able to protect it's works through mechanisms other than copyright, think classification levels. top secret etc..

Filligree 2y ago
I'm not allowed to give up my rights, no. As for NASA papers and such... I have no idea. If I were running a company I'd be able to ask a lawyer; as it stands, I'm taking the risk that the SQLite authors don't sue.
- bmacho 2y ago
  Making your work public domain is not "giving up your rights". It would be the exact opposite: practicing your right to transfer your IP. Being able to transfer or sell your IP would be an important right. Similar to physical property: being able to sell it or to give it to the public is an important right. (Okay, you probably can't give your American land to everyone in the world, but only for practical reasons, and not for some fundamental reason like that would be "giving away your rights". No, that would be the opposite: your land, you do whatever you want with it.)