Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!uunet!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!hwcs!neil
From: neil@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Forsyth)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Legal action against STrabble game.
Keywords: Scrabble, STrabble
Message-ID: <3089@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk>
Date: 28 May 91 07:57:49 GMT
References: <1991May22.100201.1231@lut.ac.uk> <3058@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk> <1586@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au> <3080@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk> <1624@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au>
Sender: news@cs.hw.ac.uk
Reply-To: neil@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Forsyth)
Organization: Computer Science, Heriot-Watt U., Scotland
Lines: 46

In article <1624@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au> warwick@cs.uq.oz.au writes:
>Even if the Laws are wrong, or the library's actions are legal, they may not
>receive justice, simply because of a lack of funds.

True. In this case however Spears were justified, although a little heavy
handed.

>>I'm surprised Dave gets off with Hacman 2.
>
>I'm GLAD.

Me too.

>> ... if PD stuff competed really
>>strongly with commercial products then companies would go out of business.
>
>So what?  I think if someone is willing to give you something BETTER for
>FREE, then they shouldn't be punished.  The problem is too many people like
>that poster have the attitude "It would be nice, but the Law doesn't allow
>it".

It could hurt some companies every bit as much as piracy, which is the illegal
version of free software. Say a company comes out with a new and very
innovative game for the ST in the UK. Some other group produce a clone,
a BETTER clone and start distributing it via the net. Soon the world will have
the PD version before some have even heard of the commercial one. When the
commercial version turns up reviewers would be saying "Not as good as the PD
version" and so no sale. Does that sound extreme? Maybe, but that is what
worries companies and that is what they are trying to prevent.

If a company lets things slip by then things can get out of hand. Look at
NEOchrome from Atari. Lots of people got version 0.5 free with their ST way
back. Despite the documentation clearly stating that it was a preview version
and the fact that later versions were on sale, PD libraries see it as free.
I have a letter from Atari saying that it is not.

>Laws can be wrong.

Ain't that the truth! Nuff said.

>Warwick.
>--
>  _-_|\       warwick@cs.uq.oz.au
> /     *  <-- Computer Science Department,
> \_.-._/      University of Queensland,
>      v       Brisbane, AUSTRALIA.