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From: waltje@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org (Fred 'The Rebel' van Kempen)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Request for permission (Important)
Message-ID: <9105201140@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org>
Date: 20 May 91 15:26:04 GMT
References: <9898@star.cs.vu.nl>
Organization: MicroWalt Corporation, for MINIX Software Development
Lines: 45

ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) wrote:
> Open letter to everyone who has contributed utility programs or other
> recognizable software to MINIX.  As a practical matter, it does not apply
> to bug fixes and other items that would not be recognizable as copyrightable.
Humm.

> It also doesn't apply to those people who have already filled in the permission
> form.  This step does not mean that anything is going to change.  It is just
> that the lawyers want to know that they really have permission to use people's
> software.  It is also useful to me to know what is copyright and what is
> public domain.   At present, this is not always clear.  Lack of any notice
> usually means copyright, but not always (depends on whether the country it
> was written in was a signatory to the Berne Convention at creation time.)
HummHumm.

Does filling in this form mean that one actually gives Prentice Hall
permission to sell the software for profit?  Usually, programs intended
for a general public (see "GNU Copyleft" and such) have the clause
that "this software may not be used for commercial purposes".

Looking at the way MINIX is going, I am getting really confused when I
see postings like these appear on the net (admitted- I saw this form
a _long_ time ago, but what the heck).  Could you please explain this
in public?

I think Prentice Hall has a right to know which software they can use
and which not, but I also think they should tell the people what they
will do with their rights.  Non-exclusive right to _use_ the software
(see below, in the form) includes the non-exclusive right to _sell_
that product for profit.  Nothing about such matters can be found in
the form...

I hereby would like all people to shell out and rewind to the "Your
articles sold for Cash" discussion some time ago, in which The MINIX
Centre (UK) was accused of making true money off other people's work,
posted on the net as "here is my work, please feel free to _use_ it".

Before anyone sends in this form (myself included, of course), I would
like to see several of these items cleared up.  Andy?  PrenHall?

Regards,
	Fred.
--
MicroWalt Corporation, for MINIX Development	waltje@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org
Tel (+31) 252 230 205, Hoefbladhof  27, 2215 DV  VOORHOUT, The Netherlands
	"An Operating System is what the _USERS_ think of it- me"