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From: everett@hpcvra.cv.hp.com. (Everett Kaser)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: PKZIP license (FAQ?)
Message-ID: <40790009@hpcvra.cv.hp.com.>
Date: 15 May 91 23:21:29 GMT
References: <1991May13.180456.7220@noose.ecn.purdue.edu>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
Lines: 23


 pjh@mccc.edu (Pete Holsberg) ...
>I think that it has been established (although not tested in the
>courts) that not paying for or registering shareware is *not* illegal. 
>It may be "cheating" but ...
>
>Pete

I realize that there is probably some legal mumbo-jumbo that justifies your
use of words, but it seems somehow strange to say in the same breath that
something "has been established...[a]s *not* illegal" but "not tested in the
courts".  *WHO* can establish whether something is illegal or not *BESIDES*
the courts?  Legislatures can pass laws to make things illegal, but until the
courts interpret those laws, the actual illegality of the particular act is
not really defined.

Of course, I'm not a lawyer, so my view of reality is significantly different
from that of those who deal with the vageries of the legal system on a daily
basis.  (Thank God.  :-).

Everett Kaser                   Hewlett-Packard Company
...hplabs!hp-pcd!everett        work: (503) 750-3569   Corvallis, Oregon
everett%hpcvra@hplabs.hp.com    home: (503) 928-5259   Albany, Oregon