If you're not the sole author, then you can't
release someone else's work
into the public domain.
Or indeed under any other licence.
Why? Let me get this straight. Say my friend and I
write a book called
"Big Cats" which we intend to publish under the GFDL. I write some
sections, my friend writes some sections, some sections I write and then he
modifies, some sections he writes and then I modify, etc. Then we start
printing copies. We attach the GFDL, print, bind, whatever. Do we include
a history section? What would the history section look like?
"Title: "Big Cats", Year: 2007, Authors: Anthony DiPierro and Joe Bloggs,
Publishers: Anthony DiPierro and Joe Bloggs".
David
On 11/06/07, Anthony <wikimail(a)inbox.org> wrote:
On 6/11/07, David Mestel <david.mestel(a)gmail.com> wrote:
However, there is another interpretation: that
every version of an
article
>is independently published as an *original* GFDL document, and
therefore
there is
no need for a history section at all
OK, in that case, what stops me from "independently publishing" it as an
*original* Public Domain work?
If you're not the sole author, then you can't release someone else's work
into the public domain.
Think of it this way: if 2
people worked together on a book and published it
under the GFDL, they
wouldn't need a history section outlining every single change each of
them
>made to the work in progress (even if they happened to publish the
works
in
progress).
Um... no, but they (or rather anyone reproducing a modified version)
would
have to include a history section listing the
authors (i.e. themselves).
Why? Let me get this straight. Say my friend and I write a book called
"Big Cats" which we intend to publish under the GFDL. I write some
sections, my friend writes some sections, some sections I write and then
he
modifies, some sections he writes and then I modify, etc. Then we start
printing copies. We attach the GFDL, print, bind, whatever. Do we
include
a history section? What would the history section look like?
I agree we should include a title page with the text "Big Cats, by Anthony
DiPierro and Whoever". But I don't see the purpose of a history section.
Let's say we used a wiki to write this book. Does that change anything?
Let's say we allowed the public access to the wiki. Does *that* change
anything? Let's say instead of 2 of us there were 50 of us. Does *that*
change anything?
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David