> 5) Unfortunately, I don't completely agree that it "doesn't hurt to
> ask." In the worst-case scenario, a publisher could decide to
> follow our progress in creating a free table of integrals and object
> whenever we added one from their table.
If we ask and they say "no", then it is clear we have to be careful
about the integrals we add. But we have at least demonstrated good
faith. If they say "no", then we will have to (e.g.) use multiple
sources, e.g. CRC + Abramovitz & Stegun (public domain) + Gradshteyn &
Ryzhik (Academic Press in the US), and not just depend on any one list
of integrals. As I said before, it is not enough to copy only the
integration *problems*. To the extent using CRC's formulae can be
considered copyright infringement at all (and I think that is extremely
questionable), it applies as much to the problems alone as to the
problems with the solutions (on the theory that someone expended
intellectual effort to choose the problems).
It is not enough for the publisher to notice that we have used a formula
that they have published: a formula in isolation is not copyrightable at
all. They would have to show that we are systematically using their
list of formulas and not adding significant intellectual effort of our
own, e.g. cross-checking against other tables, evaluating the usefulness
of the formulae by our own criteria, etc.
As for the danger of drawing CRC's attention to us, the main danger that
I would see is *not* that they would watch us more closely (do they
really have the staff to do that?) but that if we did something they
explicitly asked us not to do, we might be considered to be showing bad
faith. But we already know that (e.g.) copying their list of integrals
bodily is not a good idea. Note that they have to be careful in what
they say not to undermine *their own* legal position with respect to
previous publishers of tables of integrals. After all, their tables are
not original to them either. As I said in the previous message, if they
gave us *explicit* permission, they would not have to concede that their
own copying might be illegitimate.
I wonder if the AMS or the EFF have working groups on issues of
mathematical copyright? It would certainly be good to have relevant
public opinion on our side. Even better if there were a legal defense
fund.... How do other free software efforts pay for legal and PR
services?
-s