Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!mcsun!ukc!reading!minster!ken
From: ken@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Your articles sold for cash.
Message-ID: <650145312.12585@minster.york.ac.uk>
Date: 8 Aug 90 19:55:12 GMT
References: <26198@nigel.udel.EDU>
Reply-To: ken@SoftEng.UUCP (ken)
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England
Lines: 44

In article <26198@nigel.udel.EDU> andrew@eleceng.bradford.ac.uk (Andrew G. Minter) writes:
>> 
>> Well, we can (and should) let Prentice Hall know about this.  Second, I
>> will start to put a notice on my postings that they cannot be sold or
>> re-sold by any party, any time, or any place.
>
>This sounds like a good idea and I agree with you.  However, all sites here
>have to pay to receive USENET news, so where exactly do you draw the line.
>I think I can see where it is, but I don't know how you would tie it up in
>legal terms.
>
>> If this company continues, then I suppose that we could restrict
>> distribution of our articles, so that they only go to North America,
>> South America, Asia, Africa, and the continent.  Perhaps this would piss
>> off the Brits enough that they would take legal action against this
>> company in Great Britain.
>
>Please, please don't do this:
>
>1. I'm not at all convinced that these people are doing anything strictly
>   illegal (although I'm disturbed at the prices they seem to be charging
>   for "free" software, especially GNU stuff).

PD libraries are allowed to make a "reasonable charge" for conveying
software, such as cost of postage, disk, cost of running the company, etc.
If they are charging more than this then they are breaking the law. I don't
know whether this is criminal law (the police get involved) or civil law.
Judging by most other PD libraries, the cost of the disks should be no more
than about \(ps 5 / $10 (although it might justifiably be more if the
customer base is much smaller).

I'd rather have this service around than not - there are a lot of minix
users without access to USENET, and who need the information (I used to be
without USENET access, and it really _hurt_ - one of the factors in my
job change!).

Ken

--
Ken Tindell             UUCP:     ..!mcsun!ukc!minster!ken
Computer Science Dept.  Internet: ken%minster.york.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
York University,        Tel.:     +44-904-433244
YO1 5DD
UK