I think he's a certifiably nut job.I agree. Definitely one fry short of a Happy Meal!

Poor Ferdy. AVSIM is the root of all evil and we are out to snuff him. Yeah right. The only thing we have ever pursued with Ferday is his demented interpretation of "freeware" and his total disregard for the rights of authors. He discounts the hundreds of emails that I am sure he has received from offended authors and dismisses them as some conspiracy on AVSIM's part. He's not a nut job; he's a paranoid, delusional cretin, who wouldn't know a copyright if it smacked him up side the head. It's too bad. He could have a great site if he just abided by some common sense and respect for the authors of freeware.

DanHe's bluffing and trying to scare people. Under current Spanishor for that matter EU legislation he would be unable to makea case. It is actually the other way around....if he is posting fileson his site without the author's permission he is in factbreaking current copyright and intellectual property legislation.He's just threatening to scare people off and stop them from realising he is the one breaking the law!Shame nobody out there has had the money or the inclinationto take him on.Best JB>Well, the short version of the story is this, ALLEDGEDLY>>He uploads freeware files without the permission of the>authour's, mantaining that because the file is freeware he is>allowed to do this.>>When people tried to stop it they started adding text to their>readme files along the lines of "do not upload to FSplanet",>this has now lead to fsplanet filing this lawsuit mantaining>that if anyone puts the above mentioned in thier readme file>they will be taken to court, which I take it means he can>continue to upload freeware files without the authors>permission.>>Shame, really, its a only a hobby afterall>>Dan.

>Good read folks, had a nice talk my Ferdy a long time ago and>he spills all his beans. I think he's a certifiable nut job.>http://www.tlukdesign.co.uk/erik/fsplanet.txtThe fundamental flaw in Ferdy's argument here is that the statements from the FSF and GPL bear no legal weight on their own to define "freeware" in legal terms, and only apply if the author specifically releases their product under that license. They do not speak for freeware in general, only for their own specific brand of freeware. In fact, their definition is very narrow; they specifically exclude any release that does not include access to the full original source (releasing your .GMAX files if you create a new aircraft model, for example) and they specifically exclude "proprietary" software. They also note specifically that there is a significant body of work labeled as "freeware" that does not fall under the GPL.http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.htmlhttp://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.htmlhttp://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.htmlThat last link also includes the following:[blockquote]Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software:[ul][li]The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).[/li][li]The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.[/li][li]The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).[/li][li]The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.[/li][/ul]A program is free software if users have all of these freedoms. [/blockquote]Since most software available on AVSim does not meet freedoms 1 or 3 and limits freedom 2, it is not defensible under the GPL.Another quote from the same page:[blockquote]Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license, we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their spirit as well as the precise words.[/blockquote]

Tom...totally agree. How about locking this thread? Isnt it enough Ferdy talk by now?Eric

Yeah, this horse has been pretty much beaten to death (again).