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From: ifarqhar@sunb.mqcc.mq.oz.au (Ian Farquhar)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.emulations
Subject: Re: The REAL scoop on the "Gameboy Emulator"
Message-ID: <1475@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz>
Date: 12 Apr 91 12:34:40 GMT
References: <1443@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz> <1991Apr7.004130.22285@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> <00671246704@elgamy.RAIDERNET.COM>
Sender: news@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz
Organization: Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Lines: 34

In article <00671246704@elgamy.RAIDERNET.COM> elg@elgamy.RAIDERNET.COM (Eric Lee Green) writes:
>"Works-in-progress" are always copyrighted while under construction. If
>someone swipes an unfinished manuscript from your office, you're indeed
>protected by the copyright laws. Even if you haven't worked on that
>manuscript for two years (due to massive case of writer's block, or simply
>because that manuscript didn't "work"). Otherwise, somebody could break
>into your house, steal something, and publish it without fear of recourse.
>Not a problem for you, perhaps. But some people would pay to publish
>Stephen King's grocery list, much less the unfinished works, false starts,
>etc. in his "trunk", and the law provides protection.

Copyright law is *never* as clear cut as it appears, especially when
the work crosses international boundaries (and especially when it enters
the US.)  My main point was that it was admitted that this was a derived work 
from another source, and again this is an area in which the prevailing color 
is deepest grey.  Unless substantial changes were made to the program
(which I find unlikely as this was a quick and nasty experiment), then
Argonaut's copyright on the program is worthless.

>Jez San specifically said that this was an incomplete experiment that his
>folks were working on, that got swiped from his office. Sounds pretty
>clear-cut to me. Here in the States, at least. Dunno about there in Oz.

He said might have been swiped.  He was speculating that was what
happenned.  Don't turn speculations into facts.

And yes, Australia is a signatory to the Berne convention, and probably
takes it a lot more seriously than it should.

--
Ian Farquhar                      Phone : + 61 2 805-9400
Office of Computing Services      Fax   : + 61 2 805-7433
Macquarie University  NSW  2109   Also  : + 61 2 805-7420
Australia                         EMail : ifarqhar@suna.mqcc.mq.oz.au