Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!cbmvax!campbell
From: campbell@cbmvax.UUCP (John Campbell SW)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Awkward Piracy Situation
Message-ID: <3426@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 7 Mar 88 19:22:04 GMT
References: <287@dcdwest.UUCP>
Reply-To: campbell@cbmvax.UUCP (John Campbell SW)
Distribution: na
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 40

Quick response without long opinions:

1) Are high schools authorized to copy software?

Yes, but certainly NOT the software you mentioned.  Site licenses are 
occasionally made, but never for recreational software.  It is also only
for use within the school premises during school time, not for the students,
their relatives, friends, etc...  An example might be Logo, which some
software manufacturers have chosen to enter into site licenses.

2) What is the legality of receiving pirated software, for example with
the purchase of a used machine?

Common sense dictates here.  What would your situation be if the hardware
was stolen, and you knew about it?  The answer is that you would be 
guilty of receiving stolen property.  The same would hold true for pirated
software, since it is in a sense stolen property.

3) Can employees of software companies give out software to their friends?

Strictly speaking, since the employees do not generally own the software,
even if they wrote it, they do not have the right to give out copies.
Similiarly, they do not have the right to give out the companies computers,
desk supplies, or anything else they might consider to be theirs.  Companies
do often approve of using friends etc... as beta-testers to clean up
buggy software.  This is how so much beta-software ends up being falsely
considered public domain, just because the company decided to put "demo copy"
on the program.

Just BTW, I am against copy protection and vehemently against pirates.

Please, no flames, I don't have the time for it an abestos is considered
to be a health hazard.


John Campbell
Worlwide Software and Support Manager
Commodore International Limited

I make up my own opinions, Commodore takes none of the credit or blaim.