Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

> Obviously, a zip archive containing A and B is a derived work of B.

It’s not obvious that any copyright attaches to a zip archive at all, any more than hanging two paintings on a wall makes a derived work copyrightable wall.

To be a derived work something still has to be a ‘work’.

A distribution license can restrict how you are allowed to distribute a work because it can directly restrict your behavior not because it propagates and applies to the container you distribute it in.

That is it can just say ‘you can’t distribute this bundled up with other things’, in much the same way as it can say ‘you can’t distribute this without the copyright notice’, or ‘you can’t distribute this on Wednesdays’.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: