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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!lll-lcc!styx!twg-ap!narayan
From: narayan@twg-ap.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sources
Subject: Public domain software proclamation
Message-ID: <197@twg-ap.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 11-Apr-87 15:10:20 EST
Article-I.D.: twg-ap.197
Posted: Sat Apr 11 15:10:20 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 12-Apr-87 17:46:41 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: The Wollongong Group Inc., Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 29
Keywords: PD software

Recently I have noticed people posting software (such as /bin/true),
and proclaiming it is in public domain (there was one such posting
recently from someone in AT&T). Most people I know have signed
agreements with the companies that they work for, which claim
ownership of any inventions, ideas, and such as long as they are
conceived while the person still works for the company. I would
be wary of picking up such software, which is proclaimed to be
in public domain without first checking carefully about the legal
ramifications involved. I would also suggest that people should
be careful about claiming programs that they wrote (even at home)
is in public domain without first verifying the employment 
contract that they may have signed with their employer.

-- 

Narayan Mohanram

Phone:		415-962 7170
ARPANET	 	twg-ap!narayan@lll-tis-b.ARPA
Usenet		{attunix, ihnp4}!amdahl!twg-ap!narayan
USnail		The Wollongong Group
		1129 San Antonio Road
		Palo Alto, CA 94303. USA



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