(A)GPL as a license for fiction?

[Moejoe]

So, any GPL gurus out there know about the feasibility of using the GPL or AGPL as a license for fiction?

I'll explain a little about why I'm considering this option for my work in the future.

Firstly I consider copyright irrelevant in a digital age. It's impossible to restrict the flow of information, especially fiction (because of size and storage and the tide of progress) and I can't see any reason why I'd want to restrict that information either.

Secondly I want to participate in the greater culture and allow others to use what I've created for their own benefit.

Thirdly, after using and looking at the Creative Commons, I'm not sure if it isn't anything but a pseudo-legalese way of saying - do what you're going to do anyway. The clauses about allowing to copy seem redundant when there's no way to stop that copying. The restrictions on remixing or not are antithetical to how culture builds naturally upon earlier works. And the non-commercial rule can only be defended against if you have the money for lawyers and the time to waste.

So, taking this into account, would the (A)GPL work for my fiction? Can I give away my work and allow others to do whatever they like with that work, including make money, as long as they acknowledge who originated the work and license the result in a similar manner? I'm not versed entirely on how the (A)GPL works, I think I have the gist of it, but I'd like some opinions on how it might work or if it can even be done in relation to fiction. Also, I'm quite willing to entertain other licenses that capture the spirit of the free software movement.

Thanks in advance.

[Iphinome]

Try this.

http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Iphinome

Try this.

http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html

Still has a copyright license included at the bottom under the author name, unless I'm reading it wrong. I wonder if the BSD licence or the MIT licence might be better? Who thought giving stuff away would be this hard.

[GeoffC]

In the digital age, does any copyright really work, unless one has the financial muscle to back it up ?

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

In the digital age, does any copyright really work, unless one has the financial muscle to back it up ?

Yeah, that's where my thinking has been veering towards of late. Whichever way you license it really doesn't matter, but I suppose releasing under an open license, or even public domain, is as much a show of support for open culture as anything else. Taking a stand for what you believe in a visible, easily identifiable way.

Many pondering moments ahead. Damn, I wish I understood legal stuff a little more.

[Iphinome]

Well the GPL requires you to include the license as well this does seem to meet your needs, they can distribute, modify and sell, they have to keep it under the same license and have to keep your name on the text. It's what they use on open source textbooks.

4. MODIFICATIONS

You may copy and distribute a Modified Version of the Document under the conditions of sections 2 and 3 above, provided that you release the Modified Version under precisely this License, with the Modified Version filling the role of the Document, thus licensing distribution and modification of the Modified Version to whoever possesses a copy of it. In addition, you must do these things in the Modified Version:

* A. Use in the Title Page (and on the covers, if any) a title distinct from that of the Document, and from those of previous versions (which should, if there were any, be listed in the History section of the Document). You may use the same title as a previous version if the original publisher of that version gives permission.
* B. List on the Title Page, as authors, one or more persons or entities responsible for authorship of the modifications in the Modified Version, together with at least five of the principal authors of the Document (all of its principal authors, if it has fewer than five), unless they release you from this requirement.
* C. State on the Title page the name of the publisher of the Modified Version, as the publisher.
* D. Preserve all the copyright notices of the Document.
* E. Add an appropriate copyright notice for your modifications adjacent to the other copyright notices.
* F. Include, immediately after the copyright notices, a license notice giving the public permission to use the Modified Version under the terms of this License, in the form shown in the Addendum below.
* G. Preserve in that license notice the full lists of Invariant Sections and required Cover Texts given in the Document's license notice.
* H. Include an unaltered copy of this License.
* I. Preserve the section Entitled "History", Preserve its Title, and add to it an item stating at least the title, year, new authors, and publisher of the Modified Version as given on the Title Page. If there is no section Entitled "History" in the Document, create one stating the title, year, authors, and publisher of the Document as given on its Title Page, then add an item describing the Modified Version as stated in the previous sentence.
* J. Preserve the network location, if any, given in the Document for public access to a Transparent copy of the Document, and likewise the network locations given in the Document for previous versions it was based on. These may be placed in the "History" section. You may omit a network location for a work that was published at least four years before the Document itself, or if the original publisher of the version it refers to gives permission.
* K. For any section Entitled "Acknowledgements" or "Dedications", Preserve the Title of the section, and preserve in the section all the substance and tone of each of the contributor acknowledgements and/or dedications given therein.
* L. Preserve all the Invariant Sections of the Document, unaltered in their text and in their titles. Section numbers or the equivalent are not considered part of the section titles.
* M. Delete any section Entitled "Endorsements". Such a section may not be included in the Modified Version.
* N. Do not retitle any existing section to be Entitled "Endorsements" or to conflict in title with any Invariant Section.
* O. Preserve any Warranty Disclaimers.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Iphinome

Well the GPL requires you to include the license as well this does seem to meet your needs, they can distribute, modify and sell, they have to keep it under the same license and have to keep your name on the text. It's what they use on open source textbooks.

I think we have a winner (Until a challenger appears )

[GeoffC]

From A to O - a lot of "thou must" - but who can stop the determined?

In this world in which we live, there is only one way to prevent work being copied/manipulated, and that is to not post it - in an electronic format [ in which case you've defeated yourself ]. Even work in print is copied; even if only to provide an electronic version to read

Even artwork with copyright symbols across them are successfully pinched (go read many DeviantArt posts).

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

From A to O - a lot of "thou must" - but who can stop the determined?

In this world in which we live, there is only one way to prevent work being copied/manipulated, and that is to not post it - in an electronic format [ in which case you've defeated yourself ]. Even work in print is copied; even if only to provide an electronic version to read

Even artwork with copyright symbols across them are successfully pinched (go read many DeviantArt posts).

You've just reminded me of what Vonnengut said about artistic creativity, and I'm half remembering this from a video of a talk he gave.

He told the audience to go home and write a poem, spend time on each line, get it as perfect as possible so that it was as near to perfect as possible in their eyes. Then he told them to take that poem, rip it up and throw it in the trash.

The idea being that creation is the reward and anything beyond the creation meant very little. Once you'd finished with the creation it was truly out of your hands from thereon in. I suppose that's where I want to be, and where I feel we're going, and what I want to make happen.

[Iphinome]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

From A to O - a lot of "thou must" - but who can stop the determined?

In this world in which we live, there is only one way to prevent work being copied/manipulated, and that is to not post it - in an electronic format [ in which case you've defeated yourself ]. Even work in print is copied; even if only to provide an electronic version to read

Even artwork with copyright symbols across them are successfully pinched (go read many DeviantArt posts).

True but they all pretty much say the same thing, touch anything but the license and then append your info at the end. If other people don't do that well not much you can do and how is it any worse than what goes on with sharing files now? You could always shell out the $30 to register with the library of congress at least then you'd have proof if someone else tried to take credit and then use that credit to prevent anyone else from doing what the license allows. Any courtroom issues are solved by giving them the library of congress number to look up.

[Iphinome]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

The idea being that creation is the reward and anything beyond the creation meant very little. Once you'd finished with the creation it was truly out of your hands from thereon in. I suppose that's where I want to be, and where I feel we're going, and what I want to make happen.

Creation is its own reward but sometimes as a bonus geoffc offers you chocolate

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

You've just reminded me of what Vonnengut said about artistic creativity, and I'm half remembering this from a video of a talk he gave.

He told the audience to go home and write a poem, spend time on each line, get it as perfect as possible so that it was as near to perfect as possible in their eyes. Then he told them to take that poem, rip it up and throw it in the trash.

The idea being that creation is the reward and anything beyond the creation meant very little. Once you'd finished with the creation it was truly out of your hands from thereon in. I suppose that's where I want to be, and where I feel we're going, and what I want to make happen.

How did you know that's what I do !!!!! Anything published is really my rubbish !!!!!

Nah - bad joke ....

Surely creation is the reward; praise from others, the icing and cherry on the top ?

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

How did you know that's what I do !!!!! Anything published is really my rubbish !!!!!

Nah - bad joke ....

Surely creation is the reward; praise from others, the icing and cherry on the top ?

And criticism the lemon drop (I don't like lemon drops)?

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Iphinome

Creation is its own reward but sometimes as a bonus geoffc offers you chocolate

Hoi !


darn it , that's my secret out of the bag .... mmmm - this banding about, about my chocolate , is that not a copyright violation !!!

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

And criticism the lemon drop (I don't like lemon drops)?

certainly criticism can be sour - but also sweet - I'd rather have one of the latter to remove the taste of all the former ....


Sorry, let's drift back onto topic ....