[willeh]

I think the maximalist interpretation of copyright as it applies to software is dying out. Just as the phrase "Once upon a time" certainly isn't copyrightable its equivalents in software obviously cannot be either. While the legal system hasn't 100% caught up to this fact because software is still a relatively new thing, it eventually will. Implementing, for instance, Dijkstra's algorithm with the help of a tool that has read a bunch of GPL'd code will not create a derived work, the comments can get you in trouble certainly, but without them I have a hard time seeing it. Even so the standard for damages in most of the world is actual damages.

[kzrdude]

I hope college students accused of plagiarism by some algorithm also get the same leniency (honestly).