Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!amdahl!nsc!voder!apple!dwb
From: dwb@Apple.COM (David W. Berry)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: MEAN18 AUTHOR REPLIES TO POSTING:
Message-ID: <7724@apple.Apple.Com>
Date: 17 Mar 88 19:13:55 GMT
References: <235400004@prism> <235400006@prism>
Reply-To: dwb@apple.UUCP (David W. Berry)
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 48

In article <235400006@prism> john@prism.TMC.COM writes:
>
>
>>>Oh, come on.  A copyright is a reliable indicator that a piece of software is 
>>>copyrighted, and that is all you need to know, if you are thinking about 
>>>copying it for public distribution.  Otherwise, what does a copyright notice 
>>>mean?  
>
>>...If John is implying copyright has something to do with being 
>>purchased in a store or by mail order (and not being legally "copyable")...
>
>I stand be my previous statement.  Granted, that some public domain programs
>have copyright notices.  I agree.  However, in addition to their copyright
	Nope.  Wrong.  Can't be.  It's either Copyrighted or Public Domain,
it by definition can't be both.
	"(C) Copyright 1988 David W. Berry.  This is in the
	public domain."
is an invalid copyright.  This means that this article is public domain
and anybody can copy it for any purposes, regardless of the fact that
it says copyright on it.
	The statement:
	"(C) Copyright 1988, David W. Berry.  All Rights Reserved"
means that the software is copyrighted.  Since I have granted no
additional rights here, and presumably havn't granted any copying
rights in the license agreement, you can't copy it except for personal
usage, ie. backups.
>messages, such programs explictly SAY that it is ok to make copies, on a such-
>and-such basis, etc. etc.  We know such programs are public domain BECAUSE they
>say they are public domain, explicitly.  Any program that JUST has a copyright
	It can be Copyrighted with free nonprofit distribution.
The statement: The statement:
	"(C) Copyright 1988 David W. Berry.  All Rights Reserved.
	Permission granted to copy and distribute for nonprofit
	purposes."
Let's you copy the software much as if it were Public Domain, but the
work is still Copyrighted and you must abide by the restrictions stated
in the copyright.
>message, and says nothing about being ok to distribute on a not-for-profit
>basis, (or whatever) is NOT public domain, and only the copyright owner has the
>right to make copies of it.  If you are not that copyright owner, it is illegal
>for you to copy and publicly distribute it.  Whether or not you can purchase it
>in a store, or via mail order has NOTHING to do with it.  What counts is the
>copyright message.  Nothing complicated here.  Copyrighted is copyrighted,
>period.  This was the case with the MEAN18 program.  
-- 
David W. Berry
dwb@Delphi	dwb@apple.com	973-5168@408.MaBell
Disclaimer: Apple doesn't even know I have an opinion and certainly
	wouldn't want if they did.