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From: spaf@gatech.UUCP
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: Copyright status of the netnews software
Message-ID: <11631@gatech.EDU>
Date: Sun, 8-Feb-87 17:45:33 EST
Article-I.D.: gatech.11631
Posted: Sun Feb  8 17:45:33 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Feb-87 04:42:48 EST
References: <962@osiris.UUCP> <1717@hoptoad.uucp> <43093@beno.seismo.CSS.GOV> <1765@hoptoad.uucp>
Reply-To: spaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford)
Organization: Software Engineering Research Center (SERC), Georgia Tech
Lines: 20

Summary: John Gilmore claims that Rick Adams' copyright notice in the
netnews source is not valid and should be ignored, removed, etc.

Note that I am not a lawyer, but my understanding is that Rick can
indeed copyright that software since he has made extensive changes
and bug fixes to it, including adding some additional code.  The last
public posting of code without a copyright notice was probably 2.10.2
and anyone wishing to can do with that as they wish.  However, any
copies of 2.11, or derivations from 2.11, still must respect
Rick's copyright.

In layman's terms, he put in a major effort to modify and adapt someting
in the public domain, and he can legally claim a copyright on the
result.  Luckily for us, Mr. Adams is not charging or otherwise
restricting the use of the software.
-- 
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center (SERC), Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet:	Spaf @ GATech		ARPA:	Spaf@gatech.EDU
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