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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!glacier!well!tenney
From: tenney@well.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.legal,net.micro.atari16
Subject: Using Apple Macintosh roms on non-Apple machines
Message-ID: <959@well.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 19-Apr-86 13:16:29 EST
Article-I.D.: well.959
Posted: Sat Apr 19 13:16:29 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 21-Apr-86 06:40:13 EST
Reply-To: tenney@well.UUCP (Glenn S. Tenney)
Organization: Whole Earth Lectronic Link, Sausalito CA
Lines: 32
Keywords: Infringing ROM Copyrights
Xref: watmath net.legal:3295 net.micro.atari16:507
Summary: Can Apple stop people from doing this?

What is a line eater?

A company has developed some software and a cartridge for the
Atari ST computer that allows Apple Macintosh roms to run on the 
Atari ST.  They take official Apple roms and plug them into their
cartridge and then their software lets the ST run Macintosh software.
I spoke with the developer who wonders if Apple will/can stop them
from doing this.  It seems that when people have their dealers upgrade
the roms, the dealers keep the old roms.  You can (or could until
this situation developed) then buy these older roms.

I hope that net.legal is the proper place for this discussion (it has
been on net.micro.atari16).  Some of the questions are:
1.  Is there any copyright infringement?  I believe there is none, but
    the developer thought Apple might so claim.
2.  Can Apple suddenly claim the roms as proprietary?  The roms are
    evidently availble (officially) for somthing like US$195.
3.  If Apple tries to restrict this product wouldn't they expose
    themselves to restraint of trade claims?

I am not in any way involved with this product and only find the situation
exceedinly interesting.  I think the idea is great and that Apple shouldn't
be able to stop it (but then with our legal system the way it is, they might
force the developer to stop by consuming mass quantities of money fighting
Apple's lawyers).


-- Glenn Tenney 
UUCP: {hplabs,glacier,lll-crg,ihnp4!ptsfa}!well!tenney
ARPA: well!tenney@LLL-CRG.ARPA        Delphi and MCI Mail: TENNEY
As Alphonso Bodoya would say... (tnx boulton)
Disclaimers? DISCLAIMERS!? I don' gotta show you no stinking DISCLAIMERS!