Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!elroy!cit-vax!ucla-cs!basuki
From: basuki@CS.UCLA.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc
Subject: What is a Public Domain SW ?
Message-ID: <10361@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 15 Mar 88 07:03:35 GMT
Sender: news@CS.UCLA.EDU
Reply-To: basuki@CS.UCLA.EDU (Basuki Soetarman)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 41
Keywords: Public Domain Software

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Standard Apology :
   I am new in this net. I am not sure if this topic has been
   discussed before, etc,....

Greetings !

   Recently, there was a lot of discussion in comp.binaries.ibm.pc
newsgroup about Public Domain Software. Forgive my ignorance, but
I don't quite understand the legal meaning of 'Public Domain Software'.
I hope somebody of authority in this net can clarify this for me.
Perhaps other people will be interested too.
   As I understand, Public Domain SW mean :
Anybody can :
 1. download, copy, repost, and use the SW for his own discretion
 2. distribute it to another person without a charge
 3. distribute it to another person and charge him with a minimal fee,
    with the understanding that the SW is free and the fee is for
    covering the cost of 'copying, media, and handling',
    perhaps postage :-).  However, there are some subtle issues here :
     - How much minimal is minimal ?
     - Does the distributor requires written permission from the
       SW author ?
 4. Is it correct to assume that the SW archieved in  SIMTEL20,
    info-ibm-pc.lending.library, Compuserve, BIX, BBS, are in fact
    Public Domain SW ?
 5. How would one make sure that a piece of SW is PD or not ?
    Most programs either PD or non-PD usually have a copyright
    notice in them. How can we tell the difference ?

Please correct, add, or clarify me on the above issues.
I hope, by clarifying those issues, more mistakes can be avoided
in the future.

Thanks in advance.

- basuki@cs.ucla.edu

Standard disclaimer : ..........................
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