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Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!hc!beta!unm-la!unmvax!turing.UNM.EDU!mike
From: mike@turing.UNM.EDU (Michael I. Bushnell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Copyright notices (was: Shareware? Hah!)
Message-ID: <845@unmvax.unm.edu>
Date: 1 Mar 88 15:54:28 GMT
References: <4815@ihlpg.ATT.COM> <3343@killer.UUCP> <2608@gryphon.CTS.COM> <333@esquire.UUCP> <22977@brunix.UUCP> <21023@bbn.COM> <147@bdt. <1464@netmbx.UUCP>
Sender: news@unmvax.unm.edu
Reply-To: mike@turing.UNM.EDU.UUCP (Michael I. Bushnell)
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Lines: 57

In article <1464@netmbx.UUCP> hase@netmbx.UUCP (Hartmut Semken) writes:
>This is positively wrong. It is not (!) legal to copy the work of
>someone else.
>In fact, it's illegal to copy software at all. You may make up to seven
>backup copies of software you buyed, but you must not give any away (for
>the case of fire or the like..).

ACK!!!! WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WR[erp!]

Let's see.  I am writing this with the aid of GNU emacs, using copied
usenet software.  If I wanted a printed copy, I would probably use
TeX.  The authors of GNU emacs, TeX, and the news software got no
money from me or from my employer.  [Thanks, guys!]

It is quite legal to copy software.

It is illegal to copy software when it is
   Copyrighted

Of course, lots of copyrighted things can be copied.  That is because
the author said so.

>All brain-work is protected under the law of copyright (german:
>Uhrheberrecht). Even if somebody deletes the copyright message or
>patches the version number (happened with WordStar years ago).

It is copyrighted after publication ONLY if a copyright notice was on
the published original.

Anything which is "published" and not marked "Copyright" can be freely
copied. 


LET'S STOMP OUT SOFTWARE HOARDING!

Rah Rah Rah!




				Michael I. Bushnell
				Internet: mike@turing.unm.edu
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I work for the CS department.  But don't blame them.