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From: campbell@maynard.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Microsoft copyright notice
Message-ID: <836@maynard.BSW.COM>
Date: Sat, 21-Feb-87 14:33:11 EST
Article-I.D.: maynard.836
Posted: Sat Feb 21 14:33:11 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Feb-87 11:01:54 EST
References: <471@gouldsd.UUCP> <425@omepd>
Reply-To: campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Organization: The Boston Software Works, Inc.
Lines: 44
Keywords: copyright, Microsoft, C
Summary: Microsoft predation

[I've removed comp.mail.uucp from the Newsgroups line]

In article <425@omepd> perry@inteloa.intel.com (Perry The Cynic) writes:
>I've checked my binaries. Microsoft C does not put any copyright notice into
>the binaries (.OBJ files) it generates. The C runtime library does contain
>a notice that reads
>	C library - (C)Copyright Microsoft Corp. 1986
>and appears magically in all executable programs that use Microsoft's C
>library. This means (I think) that the C *library* is copyrighted. (Surprise!)
>
>Question now (and that's what Marcus was really talking about): if I write
>a program with MS C, using (by practical necessity) the C library, and sell
>this program, what is the legal situation? Do I infringe Microsoft's copyright?
>I am pretty sure that nowhere in the documentation there is any explicit notice
>(such as MS reserves the right... etc.). ...

Assuming you're talking about MS C v4.0 -- read your license agreement.
I don't have a copy handy any more (for reasons explained shortly), but
it goes something like this:

	You have the right to distribute code generated by the compiler
	without royalty or other restriction.  You are also granted
	a royalty-free license to distribute library routines included
	in your program, PROVIDED you:

	    1)	Include the appropriate Microsoft copyright notice
		on your program diskette label(s), AND

	    2)	Include the appropriate Microsoft copyright notice
		in your program's initial screen or signon message.

Yes, you read right.  Your whizzy new Poppy 4-5-6 spreadsheet product,
if built with MS C, must spout out some free advertising for Microsoft
every time it's run, and your floppy labels must also bear Microsoft's
name.

We found this so obnoxious that (after calling Microsoft to make sure
we hadn't misunderstood the license) we returned the compiler for a refund
and have switched to Computer Innovations C-86.
-- 
Larry Campbell                                The Boston Software Works, Inc.
Internet: campbell@maynard.uucp             120 Fulton Street, Boston MA 02109
uucp: {alliant,wjh12}!maynard!campbell              +1 617 367 6846
ARPA: campbell%maynard.uucp@harvisr.harvard.edu      MCI: LCAMPBELL