[WikiEN-l] Aneurysm

[Brock Weller]

On 6/10/07, Oskar Sigvardsson <oskarsigvardsson at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 6/10/07, the wub <thewub.wiki at googlemail.com> wrote:
> > Some users license their contributions by placing a statement on their
> > user page. However they still have to release them under the GFDL
> > also, see [[Wikipedia:Multi-licensing]]. For example I release my
> > edits into the public domain: [[User:The wub#Licensing]]. I'd say that
> > such a positive statement counts as a release, however a
> > misunderstanding of our copyright when submitting an edit probably
> > wouldn't.
>
> There is something I've been wondering about this whole
> multi-licensing thing, and now seems as good a time as any to ask: how
> can you multi-license your edits when the previous edits that you are
> modifying specifically states that you have to license your edits
> under the GFDL? I mean, if I edit a page that has previously been
> edited under the GFDL, I'm making a derivative work and then I'm not
> allowed to release my contributions into the public domain because the
> GFDL specifically says that you have to use it for derived works. If I
> were allowed to multi-license my own content that's based on others
> work, I would in effect be making their content more free, even though
> I don't hold the copyright to it.
>
> Obviously this doesn't apply when you write an article from scratch or
> rewrite an article completely, but those edits are in the minority.
>
> I just don't see how this whole multi-licensing thing is legal.
> [[Wikipedia:Multi-licensing]] doesn't really address this directly, so
> could one of the smart legal minds on this list please enlighten me?
>
> --Oskar
>
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An author can license his work to as many people under as many licenses as
possible. Nonrevokable just means you cant take away the GFDL licensed
version you gave wikipedia. You can have a all rights reserved copy you give
someone else, they are also just free to use the GFDL copy if they prefer
to. And you can also give wikipedia a CC copy, and/or PD copy, all with one
submit click.

-- 
-Brock