[Committee-d] A signing problem

[David Turner]

It seems to me that if someone signs an application for use in a DRM
system, even if they do not distribute the application, there is a
strong contributory infringement or inducement claim against them.  So,
that handles some of your cases.  

In cases where authors' signatures under the GPL are perverted for use
in DRM (Yoyodyne), I think there is still a potential secondary
liability claim for those who create the DRM system.  Further, as you
note, without some sort of agreement with the signer, this is vulnerable
to an attack whereby the signer signs others' applications.  

I also just noticed an objection to your comments at the meeting that
this reading constitutes an expansion of copyright law.  In my view, it
does not: FSF opposes all expansions of copyright law -- we filed amici
in Eldred and in Grokster on the side of less restrictive copyright
laws.  But if copyright laws are expanded, the GPL sometimes expands
with them.  This doesn't affect our commitment to overturning these bad
laws and rulings.  Copyleft itself is a reaction against copyright
overreach.