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From: dickj@tektronix.UUCP (Dick Jackson)
Newsgroups: net.legal,net.micro
Subject: Re: Modifying Copyrighted ROM's
Message-ID: <6134@tektronix.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Dec-85 03:28:08 EST
Article-I.D.: tektroni.6134
Posted: Fri Dec 20 03:28:08 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Dec-85 06:42:34 EST
References: <1019@homxb.UUCP> <4712@alice.UUCP>
Reply-To: dickj@tektronix.UUCP (Dick Jackson)
Distribution: net
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 38
Xref: watmath net.legal:2658 net.micro:13213

I'm not a lawyer either, but since I really try to be honest I've done some
looking into this. (Is it ok to copy audio albums?)  What I've found is
this:

1) laws are interpreted by courts on cases brought by plaintiffs. (This is
   important)
2) The copyright law is meant to protect the owner of a work.
3) When you buy the rights to something, you now have rights, limited though
   they may be. (Called something like 'fair use')
4) You may not redistribute in anyway a copyrighted work to anyone, for profit
   or not. (This could void a possible sale by the owner).
5) You may do various things to your copy, for your own use.  All my contacts
   have agreed that buying an album for myself and taping onto a cassette for
   my own use is 'fair use' as long as I retain the original and all copies.
   (a) I've bought the album (b) I don't have a turntable in my car
   (c) Have you ever heard the quality of a typical store  I cannot, however,
   borrow a friend's album, tape it and return the orginal to him.

As this applies, I would say the original writer in no way violated the law.
He took what he owned and made a new version for his own use.  As far as
others go, if they have their own copy of the original, again they have their
own 'fair use' rights.  Also remember that IBM wants to keep from losing money.
Unless you void a sale, they have no motivation to care, and law is determined
by prosecution.

Copyrights very closely parallel patents.  If I buy a patented product, once
I've got it I can do just about anything I want with it (accept copy it and
try to sell the copies).  If somebody improves upon the product and announces
something new, my updating my copy if possible is not infringement upon the
original patent (although it could be a violation of patents on the new
product).

This should ease the heart of the original poster, but maybe not those who do
(as I once did) copy every album they can get their hands on.  It is (probably)
ok to modify ROMs in order to try to make your system work (that is why you
bought in the first place).  Just don't steal somebody elses ROMs to do it.

Not dick jackson.