[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #15769: Hello Dolly plugin doesn't explain license of copyrighted lyrics

[WordPress Trac]

#15769: Hello Dolly plugin doesn't explain license of copyrighted lyrics
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 Reporter:  novasource    |       Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)  |      Status:  reopened
 Priority:  normal        |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Plugins       |     Version:  3.0.2
 Severity:  major         |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  2nd-opinion   |
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Comment (by hakre):

 Sure, an us-american author is bound to us-copyright. But the wordpress
 foundation is not the author nor the publisher of the wordpress work. So I
 would just not count much on assumptions based on the foundation.

 Just don't misread me. I wanted clarify some basic points first before
 going into a discussion about detailed stuff like educational, fair-use
 and non-commercial because it probably just does not applies here.

 Same for the international law. If the plugin is violating copyright
 because the author does not have the right to distribute the hello dolly
 lyrics under the GPL, the you don't need to look much further.

 ----

 Replying to [comment:8 markjaquith]:
 > The purpose is non-commercial and, yes, educational.

 I beg your pardon mark, but the purpose of wordpress is limited only by
 the GPL. The purpose therefore is by definition anything the GPL allows,
 explicitly including commercial usage.

 > If Mr. Herman's lawyers disagree, they've remained silent on the matter
 for quite a long time.

 I'm not sure who owns the copyright of the lyrics and which restrictions
 apply, but unless it's not compatible with the GPL, you can not
 redistribute it regardless of the owner's rights and the action of their
 lawyers. And btw, I won't wait for their actions first but to keep things
 in order from the moment a problem has been located.

 Otherwise wordpress.org is knowingly distributing self-violating GPL code
 which is a pure absurdity. Not to mention the copyright violation.

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Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/15769#comment:20>
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