Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!usc!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!src.honeywell.com!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!hhdist From: erikmb@cd.chalmers.se (Erik Bryntse) Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds Subject: COPYRIGHT -- WHY?? Message-ID: <9011291737.AA28097@cd.chalmers.se> Date: 29 Nov 90 17:34:44 GMT Lines: 35 To: handhelds@gac.edu Return-path: To: handhelds@gac.edu X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL8] COPYRIGHT -- WHY?? I am constantly amazed at all the large, "professional-looking" copyright messages that people put in their postings of relatively small programs. I simply cannot see the reason for this. Do you seriously beleive that someone might publish your program someday and pay you for it? Or are you afraid that someone will "steal" your idea? Do you think that a copyright message will prevent this? The same question applies to many journals of user clubs. In my opinion this newsgroup, as well as the user groups, are made specifically for distributing software and information about HP's calculators. Why complicate things with copyright messages? If you post something on c.s.h. it is distributed everywhere anyway. Many postings also have a passus that, in essence, says "Don't blame me if something bad happens when you use my programs". The interesting thing is that this also is written in MANY more words, in a professional style. Now, I can understand that Hewlett Packard need to put messages like that in their free software. But HP are a company, that usually sells things, that has a warranty. HP therefore need to clearly mark that "this program we give away, so do not expect us to support it". Is there really a need for the extensive type of disclaimers that people often use? Why are they used? Since I am active in a user group in Sweden, I often wish to publish programs that has copyright messages of the type "ask me first". Then I have to go through the trouble contacting the author, only to receive a "sure, go ahead and copy it". Of course it might be nice for the author to receive such requests from everywhere, but is this really necessary? When this copyrighted text is then to be printed in a magazine, you run across this type of message: "this copyright message must be preserved", and then some 10 lines of copyright, disclaimers, and so on. Either you simply ignore this, and publish the pr ogram anyway, or you print the copyright message in full. It doesn't look to nice to have lots of such messages all over your magazine, I can tell you! Now please note that I am NOT questioning the right to have a large program or other contribution copyrighted. With large I mean like SASS, KERMIT and Alonzo's internals texts. The type of thing I am questioning is copyrighting programs like my own TETRIS This is posted in order to start a discussion about this matter. It is not directed to someone in particular. Erik Bryntse / SHPRF (Svenska HP-raknarforeningen) erikmb@cd.chalmers.se