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From: ron@brl-sem.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>)
Newsgroups: net.legal,net.micro
Subject: Re: Modifying Copyrighted ROM's
Message-ID: <599@brl-sem.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 23-Dec-85 15:14:07 EST
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Posted: Mon Dec 23 15:14:07 1985
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In IBM's own publication "Copyright Instructions,"  page 3:
Customer Copying and Modification:

As noted herein before, the Customer is not free to print, copy or display
the licensed program materials, except as expressely provided in the
Agreement for IBM Licensed Programs.

However the customer may copy materials in machine readable form to the
extent indicated in the License section of the Agreement for IBM Licensed
Programs and which reads in part as follows:

Each license granted under this Agreement authorizes the Customer to--
copy the licensed program materials in machine readable form into any machine
readable or printed form to provide sufficient copies to support the
Customer's use of the licensed program as authorized under this Agreement.
Licensed program materials provided by IBM in printed form may not be copied.
Additional copies may be obtained under license from IBM at the charges then
in effect.

Modification of licensed program materials is permitted in the Permission to
Modify section which reads as follows:

The Customer may modify any licensed program materials in machine readable
form and/or merge such materials into other program material to form an
updated work for the Customer's own use; provided that, upon discontinuance
of the licensed program, the licensed program materials will be completely
removed from the updated work and dealt with under this Agreement as if
permission to modify or merge had never been granted.  Any portion of the
licensed program materials included in such an updated work will condinue to
be subject to all terms of this Agreement.

------------------------------------------------------------

Essentially, IBM lets individual users copy and modify their programs for
their own use.  However, you can't give away copies of the modified code any
more than you can give away copies of the unmodified code, regardless of
whether someone else was licensed for it.  However your friend could come
over to your rom burner and copy and modify his copy of the code on his own
behalf.

-Ron