how-xxx-works.txt

[Jonathan Kamens]

>  Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 13:47:39 -0400
>  From: Charles Wilson <cwilson@ece.gatech.edu>
>  
>  You have to own (and "declare") copyright before you worry about what 
>  license to distribute the work under.

Actually, under the Berne Copyright Convention, to which most
civilized countries in the world adhere, you don't have to explicitly
declare a copyright for material to be copyrighted.  The only point of
having a declared copyright is to prevent infringers from being able
to use an "innocent infringement" defense.  Also, if the material has
an explicit copyright, it's easier to sue for punitive damages.

  jik