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From: johnc@haddock.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.mail.headers
Subject: Re: Shipping PD software as part of a vendor's Unix release
Message-ID: <418@haddock.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Mar-87 10:14:13 EST
Article-I.D.: haddock.418
Posted: Mon Mar 30 10:14:13 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 31-Mar-87 06:20:17 EST
References: <1906@hoptoad.uucp> <1790@pyramid.UUCP>
Reply-To: johnc@haddock.ISC.COM.UUCP (John Chambers)
Organization: Interactive Systems, Boston
Lines: 34

>We will probably continue to supply and support PD software with the release,
>since we have customers who ask for it. It sure is a goodness-of-our-hearts
>issue, though; we do not and cannot charge anything for the software... 

Funny how this misconception keeps coming up.  True, you can't copyright PD 
stuff, or make claims that it is yours.  But there is nothing at all illegal 
(or even immoral or fattening) about taking such stuff and incorporting it 
into your own "product" which you sell for a price.  The work of porting, 
testing, documenting, and generally "packaging" other people's PD stuff is 
a valid commercial service.

Just don't try to claim a copyright on it.  To be legally safe, as well as
moral and ethical and all that, include in the documentation a prominent
statement as to who the real author is.  (In fact, you might even give an
email path to them, so you won't be bothered by bug reports. :-)

Recently, I learned that there is a company that will *sell* you a list of
all the free documents available from the U.S. government, complete with 
addresses and phone numbers of the agencies.  This popped up in a sarcastic
article about people re-selling 'free' merchandise.  But just try making a
list like this yourself!  You'll appreciate why someone might want you to
reimburse them for their effort.

'Free' software is similar.  It's free only to the few hackers that can take
it and make it run.  Your typical secretary couldn't even start to bring up
usenet on the office PC or Mac.  If someone were to offer a "plug-it-in-and-
watch-it-run" package on a diskette, it could be a viable product.

The important phrase is "added value".

-- 
	John Chambers	(617)247-1155
	...!ima!johnc	
[No, I don't work at cdx39 any more.]