Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!usc!bbn.com!cosell
From: cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Just in case you are interested (!)
Keywords: lawsuits, X-windows, look-and-feel
Message-ID: <58762@bbn.BBN.COM>
Date: 7 Aug 90 16:58:41 GMT
References: <13545@yunexus.YorkU.CA>
Sender: news@bbn.com
Lines: 51

oz@nexus.YorkU.CA (Ozan Yigit) writes:

}The following was posted to comp.emacs by Richard Stallman. I believe
}it is important enough for you to see it, [in case you have missed it]
}and hence this repost.

Aside from the usual handwrining from the usual handwringers, why is
this important?  They *admitted* that they borrowed the idea from
Solbourne's system.  In any other field of graphic design they'd for
sure have to get the permission of the originators, why not here?


}| From: rms@AI.MIT.EDU
}| Newsgroups: comp.emacs
}| Subject: X marks the suit
}| Message-ID: <9008031720.AA08100@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu>
}| Date: 3 Aug 90 17:20:02 GMT
}| Article-I.D.: sugar-bo.9008031720.AA08100
}| Posted: Fri Aug  3 13:20:02 1990
}| Lines: 29
}| 
}| I hope this taste of the shape of things to come in the computer
}| industry will wake enough of us up before it is too late...
}| 
}| 
}| Date: Fri,  3 Aug 90 10:51:34 -0400 (EDT)
}| From: Nicholas John Williams <njw@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
}| To: staff@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
}| Subject: TWM Virtual Desktop, Look & Feel Lawsuits etc.
}| 
}| As many of you know, there was a version of TWM available recently,
}| which had patches (written by Dave Edmondson of Imperial College) which
}| added a "Virtual Desktop" facility. This allowed you to spread your
}| windows out over virtual space and select which area to view at any one
}| time.  The feature was modelled after the Solbourne Window Manager,
          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
}| performing the same sort of tasks as their Virtual Desktop.
}| 
...

}| Following this, Dave Edmondson yesterday received a letter from Paul
}| Lippe, the vice president of Solbourne stating that he had "engaged in
}| unauthorized copying of Solbourne's virtual desktop utility feature".

They had!  No?  As always, the FSF embodies a conundrum: on the one
hand they complain that all of these suits stifle innovation.  But the
suits only arise because some folks refuse to innovate and insist on
copying; who would be filing the suits if folks came up with their own
stuff?

  /Bernie\