Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!mcdchg!ddsw1!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Copyright
Message-ID: <25b26116:8132.1comp.ibmpc;1@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 16 Jan 90 00:00:07 GMT
References: <6107@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Lines: 35

>Item 8132 (0 resps) by ir230 at sdcc6.ucsd.edu on Mon 15 Jan 90 11:28
>[john wavrik]    Subject: Copyright
>(45 lines)
>
>
>Regarding copyrights I've heard something bizarre:
>
>    Suppose A writes a program which he does not intend to copyright
>       but instead makes it freely available.
>
>    Suppose B takes some or all of A's program, incorporates it in his
>       work and puts *his* copyright on the whole thing.
>
>    The (bizarre) claim is that A no longer has rights to his own program and 
>       infringes on B's copyright if he either continues to distribute 
>       his original work or (particularly) if he later decides to use the 
>       ideas for a commercial product. Similarly any other party who uses A's 
>       work must obey the condition's of B's copyright even though he got
>       the ideas from A rather than B.


Absolutely false.  The fact that University Ingres and other products
(freely available) exist side-by-side with the commercial versions of same
bears this out.

Where did you get this outrageous idea?  The fact that someone has
Copyrighted a work only extends protection to >his< version of that work. 
If the original was PD, then you can still use the origional (and make
changes to it, and sell THAT version if you want).

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)
Public Access Data Line: [+1 708 566-8911], Voice: [+1 708 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.  "Quality Solutions at a Fair Price"