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From: ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.legal,net.micro
Subject: Re: Modifying Copyrighted ROM's
Message-ID: <4712@alice.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Dec-85 10:11:18 EST
Article-I.D.: alice.4712
Posted: Tue Dec 17 10:11:18 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Dec-85 05:23:08 EST
References: <1019@homxb.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 26
Xref: watmath net.legal:2637 net.micro:13118

I'm not a lawyer, so take this with a large grain of salt.

> I am curious as to the legality of taking a copyrighted ROM from my
> own computer and making a copy of it (with changes) and then using this
> new ROM in my computer (I had to do this to support an oddball disk on
> my IBM PC/AT).  Did I do anything illegal (Egad!).  What if a friend
> who also owns a copy of the original ROM wants a copy of the new ROM.
> Can I give him one?  How about those companies who sell
> add-on disks for the AT and give you modified IBM ROM's - are they
> legally doing so, do they need an agreement with IBM?

When you made a copy of the IBM ROM without their permission, you
violated the copyright law.  Not only that, but you've admitted
it. If IBM decides to sue you, I expect you won't have a chance.

If your friend wants a copy of the new ROM, you must get permission
from IBM before you make said copy.

If those companies who sell add-ons are giving you modified IBM ROMs,
they need permission from IBM also to do so.

The law as I understand it is extremely simple:  you need permission
from the copyright holder in order to make a copy of a copyrighted
work.  Period.  It doesn't matter what you're using the copy for.
A translation into another language is a copy.  A modification is also
a copy.  So is a paraphrase.