[PD-ot] Art: To GPL or not to GPL?

[Hans-Christoph Steiner]

I think an example would more clearly explain what I am talking about.   
Say I write some software that is central to a performance and the  
performers have a commodity skill.  So if I release this project under  
the GPL, someone could download the software, hire some people, and  
perform the piece and call it their art, leaving all the Copyright  
notices intact on the code, just not telling anyone about it.  This  
wouldn't violate the GPL since they would be claiming credit for the  
performance, not the software.

But I want people to build upon my idea just as I have built upon the  
ideas of so many others, that is why I insist on releasing everything I  
write as free software.  But I would like to get paid for my work so I  
don't have to do other bullshit jobs.  The main funding stream that I  
see for code/media art is getting paid to show your art at festivals.   
I am currently finishing a stint at the Lille 2004 European Cultural  
Capital festival and the level of sleaze and backstabbing is pretty  
appalling.  This is what triggered this question: I could totally see  
someone in a festival like this not wanting to pay to put on a piece,  
so once they find out its GPL'ed, they just do it themselves, without  
giving me even credit (while leaving the GPL copyright notices intact  
with my name on them).

The other side of the question is the troubles that the BSD attribution  
clause caused.  Basically, as the software spreads the number of  
attributions needed becomes large and unmanagable.  So I think the  
comprimise would be to cover the instrument parts of the code under the  
GPL, so people will develop it and make it better, while putting the  
score and other performance aspects of it under the Creative Commons  
Attribution Share-Alike license, then just hope that people will  
actually want to pay me rather than just give me credit :).

.hc

________________________________________________________________________ 
____

"[W]e have invented the technology to eliminate scarcity, but we are  
deliberately throwing it away
to benefit those who profit from scarcity."
							-John Gilmore