OpenOffice Calc 2.4.1 Read Only Mode

As long as I'm on the topic, another aspect of OO 2.4.1 Calc that can only be considered a bug is that when one opens a spreadsheet in read-only mode, it's not possible to select and copy parts of a formula from the formula box. The closest one can come, so far as I can tell, is to copy the entire formula out of a cell. Why can't I copy read-only text? This is a copy I'm trying to do, not a cut, not a modification.