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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!munnari!moncskermit!basser!aaec!sba
From: sba@aaec.OZ (Sal Barbagallo)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Posting software from Compuserve
Message-ID: <710@aaec.OZ>
Date: Mon, 20-Oct-86 23:00:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: aaec.710
Posted: Mon Oct 20 23:00:13 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 22-Oct-86 23:10:06 EDT
References: <812@gould9.UUCP> <3828@ism780c.UUCP>
Organization: Australian Atomic Energy Commission
Lines: 23
Summary: Public Domain or Shareware

In article <3828@ism780c.UUCP>, tim@ism780c.UUCP (Tim Smith) writes:
> 	4. CIS lawyers tell BBS operator to stop making available
> 	copyrighted material without the permission of the
> 	copyright holder.
> 
> It is pefectly OK with CIS for people to distribute public domain stuff
> that they get off of CIS.  For stuff that is copyrighted, CIS policy is
> that you must get the permission of the copyright holder.

There seems to be some confusion about distributing copyrighted material.
Many programs freely available have notices by the author that you are
free to distribute it and give copies away to your friends. The same
programs usually also contain copyright notices. The only thing the author
wants to prevent is profiteering (which the BBS operator obviously was)
and someone calling the program there own and then redistributing it
either for self admiration or profit.

If the author says that copies may be freely distributed, then copyright
or not there seems to be nothing wrong with taking it off CIS and then
redistributing it on USENET or other BBS as long as it is not for profit
or personal gain.

Sal