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Path: utzoo!mnetor!yetti!geac!daveb
From: daveb@geac.UUCP (Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.unix.wizards,comp.os.misc
Subject: Re: Who owns Unix(tm)? (was: Re: Mach, the new standard?)
Message-ID: <1211@geac.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Aug-87 08:31:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: geac.1211
Posted: Mon Aug 24 08:31:24 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Aug-87 01:08:47 EDT
References: <1665@ncr-sd.SanDiego.NCR.COM> <8381@utzoo.UUCP>
Reply-To: daveb@geac.UUCP (Dave Collier-Brown)
Organization: The little blue rock next to that twinkly star.
Lines: 19
Xref: mnetor comp.arch:1890 comp.unix.wizards:3856 comp.os.misc:94

In article <2232@xanth.UUCP> kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan) writes:
| ... the gall of AT&T
| claiming to "own" Unix(tm) really gets to me.  At the time Unix was
| developed, WITH SUBSCRIBER FUNDS, AT&T was a regulated monopoly,
| specifically prohibited from being in the computer business.  Suddenly
| divesture happens, and this magic product springs forth full grown
| from Zeus' forehead.  Riiiight!  Seems to me, right off hand, that an
| awfully good case could be made that the customers, NOT Ma Bell, own
| Unix.  Considering the AT&T customer base, that is pretty much the
| mortal equivalent of public domain.

  Interesting...  I seem to remember that Unix V6 had to be sold as
"surplus software" to permit Bell to claim that it was not in the computer business.  Can anyone on the legal
side comment on the above speculation?
-- 
 David Collier-Brown.                 {mnetor|yetti|utgpu}!geac!daveb
 Geac Computers International Inc.,   |  Computer Science loses its
 350 Steelcase Road,Markham, Ontario, |  memory (if not its mind)
 CANADA, L3R 1B3 (416) 475-0525 x3279 |  every 6 months.