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From: tomr@ashtate (Tom Rombouts)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: copyrights and personal recognition (opinions solicited)
Keywords: copyright, recognition, author, program
Message-ID: <1991Jan23.184745.28990@ashtate>
Date: 23 Jan 91 18:47:45 GMT
References: <1991Jan22.052940.11570@xenitec.on.ca>
Organization: Ashton-Tate, Inc., Torrance, CA
Lines: 25

In article <1991Jan22.052940.11570@xenitec.on.ca> edhew@xenitec.on.ca (Ed Hew) writes:
>
>Like most companies,  when an employee writes a program, the employee does not
>own the software, but the company does.  The author, and therefore the
>patent/copywrite holder is the company.  
   [ rest of post deleted ]

As an aside, a certain percentage of software sold is licensed from 
individuals who get a royalty, much like book or record sales.  However,
as the size of microcomputer software increases, this practice is
likely becoming less common.  (In these cases, the software company
is providing the packaging, marketing and distribution, but does
not hold the copyright.)

Btw, check out the "who" command on the current release of dBASE IV
1.1.  It lists c. 115 people on the dBASE IV development team.
(Windows 3.0 has a simular "easter egg" that will reveal a screen
full of apparent e-mail aliases.)  These are ways of providing ego
satisfaction without the intrusion of an opening banner.  (Of course,
_I_ was left out of the "who" command in dBASE IV, a fact that I
am well aware of as I contemplate my future.... So these type of
things are not without their problems, as well.)


Tom Rombouts  Torrance 'Tater  tomr@ashtate.A-T.com  V:(213)538-7108