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From: ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.legal,net.micro
Subject: Re: Modifying Copyrighted ROM's
Message-ID: <4722@alice.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Dec-85 19:27:23 EST
Article-I.D.: alice.4722
Posted: Thu Dec 19 19:27:23 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Dec-85 06:20:04 EST
References: <549@talcott.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 15
Xref: watmath net.legal:2650 net.micro:13178

> I am not a lawyer either, but I cannot be as sure as you that anything
> is wrong here. You copy the OS all of the time (for use by one
> person, one machine...). Some people even hack the thing to bits (eg:
> the many useful and interesting patches which have graced this and
> other newsgroups). Copyright gives one exclusive rights to make AND
> DISPOSE of a product for a period of time. If I want to rewire my
> machine, rewrite the OS or a ROM or disassemble everything I can get
> my hands on for personal use, my RIGHT to do so is protected under a
> much higher law than copyright...

There is a difference between modifying something and copying it.

The source for my information is an article about the copyright law
that appeared in Computing Surveys some time ago.  I can probably
scare down the reference if there's enough interest.