Xref: utzoo rec.music.synth:16956 comp.sys.apple2:8168 comp.sys.amiga:71232 comp.sys.mac.misc:5484 comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:3446 misc.legal:22440
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!unsvax!uns-helios!alfter
From: alfter@uns-helios.nevada.edu (SCOTT ALFTER)
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth,comp.sys.apple2,comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,misc.legal
Subject: Re: Do *NOT* reveal or mention "hacking" information (was Re: paper clip trick)
Message-ID: <2259@unsvax.NEVADA.EDU>
Date: 9 Nov 90 09:10:33 GMT
References: <2653@ttardis.UUCP>
Sender: news@unsvax.NEVADA.EDU
Reply-To: alfter@uns-helios.uucp (SCOTT ALFTER)
Followup-To: rec.music.synth
Organization: Univ of Nevada System Computing Services - Las Vegas
Lines: 28

In article <2653@ttardis.UUCP> rlw@ttardis.UUCP (Ron Wilson) writes:
>Do *NOT* reveal, or even mention, any information on how to defeat copy
>protection.  In the eyes of the law, doing so reduces the NET to the status
>of a pirate BBS.  More importantly, the owners of the systems that make up
>[other crap deleted]

BZZZT!  I don't see how it does that at all.  Did you ever hear of the
fair use doctrine?  A handful of software publishers still insist on
copy protection, which tends to make their wares difficult or
impossible to use in a world where hard disks and RAM disks are more
and more common.  Distributing information on how to defeat copy
protection schemes for the sole purpose of archival copies is
perfectly legal--look at magazines such as _Computist_ that do almost
nothing but describe how to crack programs.

Again, it is perfectly legal to unprotect software for your own use,
either to make a backup copy or install it on a hard disk.  It is also
legal to disseminate information on how to unprotect software.

Finally, I'm not a lawyer.  While I believe that what I've said is
true, don't come running to me if you get yourself in trouble; I have
enough problems with my life already. :-)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scott Alfter                             _/_
                                        / v \ Apple II:
Internet: alfter@uns-helios.nevada.edu (    ( the power to be your best!
   GEnie: S.ALFTER                      \_^_/