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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!cbatt!ihnp4!ptsfa!lll-lcc!styx!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!decvax!tektronix!orca!hammer!andrew
From: andrew@hammer.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.sys.misc,comp.lang.misc,comp.misc,comp.org.decus,comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Pirating software (was "Dibol to C")
Message-ID: <2795@hammer.TEK.COM>
Date: Fri, 27-Feb-87 15:28:52 EST
Article-I.D.: hammer.2795
Posted: Fri Feb 27 15:28:52 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Mar-87 15:20:13 EST
References: <538@spdcc.COM>
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Wilsonville, OR
Lines: 18
Xref: utgpu comp.sys.dec:79 comp.sys.misc:398 comp.lang.misc:302 comp.misc:301 comp.org.decus:73 comp.sources.wanted:663

[]

	"If I were to buy a software package with sources, how
	extensively would I have to make changes to the system in order
	to call it my own?  Would changing field names?  Record/file
	layouts?  Running it thru a translator (Language A in, Language
	B out)?  Changes to mainline logic?"

If the code is copyrighted, as almost all code is, no amount of change
will let you call it your own.  Anything you produce starting with that
code is a "derived work" and is the property of the owner of the
original; you have no rights to it.

The only way to make code that you can call your own is to start from
scratch or to start with public domain code.

  -=- Andrew Klossner   (decvax!tektronix!tekecs!andrew)       [UUCP]
                        (tekecs!andrew.tektronix@csnet-relay)  [ARPA]