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From: davidsen@sungod.crd.ge.com (William Davidsen)
Newsgroups: news.misc,news.sysadmin,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Official Legal Announcement regarding Apple's Source Code
Keywords: legal stuff
Message-ID: <874@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
Date: 19 Jun 89 21:29:29 GMT
References: <2073@astroatc.UUCP> <2928@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> <841@hydra.gatech.EDU> <394@v7fs1.UUCP> <736@rwing.UUCP> <6198@pdn.paradyne.com>
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Reply-To: davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen)
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Organization: General Electric Corp. R&D, Schenectady, NY
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In article <6198@pdn.paradyne.com> dixon@gumby.paradyne.com (0000-Tom Dixon) writes:

| But the real question is why would a company think that they can 
| get away with these silly strong arm tactics? 

  The American legal system is not based on justice, it's based on
money. Anyone can sue anyone else for anything, and if the person sued
can't afford to hire lawyers to defend the case they lose it.

  If Apple sues Joe's Computer Company for a million dollars, Joe can
either pay to fight the case or pay the million dollars. And if Joe
spends every penny he has and wins the case he doesn't get his court
costs back, and Apple can appeal. Eventually Joe goes out of business,
which is what Apple wants, of course.

  Apple force Digital Research to give up it's beautiful GEM interface
until threat of lawsuit. DR now sells something else with the same name,
but it's not at all the same. Apple is very careful to protect all the
ideas which Xerox developed.

  No matter how pure a Mac clone is, I'm sure Apple will sue, and keep
suing. Unless some really big company decides to make a clone and counts
the court costs as part of the startup, I don't think any clones will
actually be sold. Apple can just run the cost so high that there will be
no profit. I would really like to see IBM make a Mac clone, just to see
the lawsuit!

Disclamer: the above are my opinions and facts as I know them. Consult a
lawyer for information which applies to any particular situation.
	bill davidsen		(davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM)
  {uunet | philabs}!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me