Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!versatc!mips!prls!philabs!linus!nixbur!nixpbe!mboen
From: mboen@nixpbe.UUCP (Martin Boening)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re^2: Status of TeX
Keywords: TeX - is it PD?
Message-ID: <394@nixpbe.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jun 89 05:50:39 GMT
References: <2520@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk> <18780@vax5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU>
Organization: Nixdorf Computer AG, Paderborn, Germany
Lines: 27

33609796@vax5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU writes:

>In article <2520@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk> steve@cs.hw.ac.uk (Steven Salvini) writes:
>>
>>I recently down-loaded a copy of DOSTEX and having read the "COPYING"
>>information file I'm still a little unclear as to the status of this program.
>>Simply, is it public domain/shareware or what?

>I don't see how it could be.  (I know nothing about DOSTEX in particular.)
>TeX is copyrighted by the American Mathematical Society, and that should 
>protect derivative works and all that as well.  Anybody have any information
>(not ideas) on the issue of derivatives of TeX and the AMS copyright?

Just for interest: In volume B of 'Computers and Typesetting' (thats
also called TeX, The Program) it says on one of the 'cover' pages that
TeX is copyrighted by the AMS - BUT it also says that TeX is placed in
the public domain and can be distributed freely as long as it isn't changed
functionally from what was pubished in the abovementioned book. I don't
know what that means for TeX ports done by a company for a certain machine
and then being sold, however.

Martin
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