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From: dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman)
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re: Software legalities: another question
Message-ID: <2078@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Aug-83 11:45:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.2078
Posted: Wed Aug 24 11:45:27 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Aug-83 13:53:03 EDT
References: <290@burl.UUCP>
Organization: The Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto
Lines: 15

Without getting into the issues that rabbit!ark raised, I can
say that, in Canada (and as far as I know the U.S. is the same
in this regard), making up your own version of a program which
matches the specs of another (i.e., functions the same way), when
you are not copying the code, is fine.
	Look at all the UNIX lookalikes, beginning with Idris years
ago. There are now a dozen or more. Once the specifications of what
UNIX does become public knowledge, anyone can write their own programs
to do what UNIX does.

Dave Sherman
[not speaking on behalf of] The Law Society of Upper Canada
Toronto
-- 
 {allegra,cornell,floyd,ihnp4,linus,utzoo,uw-beaver,watmath}!utcsrgv!lsuc!dave