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From: hes@ecsvax.UUCP (Henry Schaffer)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Software protection; one more time
Message-ID: <925@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Dec-85 20:50:47 EST
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.925
Posted: Sun Dec 15 20:50:47 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Dec-85 04:15:50 EST
References: <139@duvel.UUCP> <364@tekig5.UUCP>
Organization: NC State Univ.
Lines: 34

> > Last summer there was a lot of discussion concerning software protection.
> > My questions:
> > - should this allow people to set up a central pool of software
> >   (like a company library)
         Copyright law would seem to allow this - but people would have
         to check out a copy by removing that from the library.
> > - should people get a replacement disk, when theirs is destroyed after
> >   a year or so of operation. You won't get a new book after a year or
> >   so, when it "breaks" and it is not a production failure (but for instance
         This doesn't seem to have any relation to copyright, but rather
         to company policy/purchase agreement.
> >   due to heavy use)
> > - Am I allowed to exchange software with someone else, provided that I
> >   give him all backups (if existing), the original, and the documentation?
> >   Or should I keep for instance a compiler as long as I use the objects
> >   produced by it?
> >   What with games, can I swap a solved adventure with someone else,
         Again, copyright law would seem to allow this.  The purchase
         agreement/software license may or may not allow this.
> 
>   Am I allowed to copy part of a disk as long as I don't copy the whole thing?
>   (such is the cas with books as I understand it).


     Under copyright law (as I understand it) the concept of "fair use"
     allows you to copy a part of a copyrighted work under certain 
     restrictions.  One of them is that you don't copy a subtantial
     portion, and that the copied portion doesn't reduce the market for
     the copyrighted work.  This appears to rule out copying an entire
     computer program.  (It would seem to allow copying a part of a
     copyrighted program because you wanted to use it as an example for
     a university course your were teaching on software engineering.
--henry schaffer
Disclaimer: do not construe the above as advice, legal or otherwise.