Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!necntc!encore!chan
From: chan@encore.UUCP (Jerry Chan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: copyright notices
Message-ID: <2753@encore.UUCP>
Date: 3 Mar 88 22:45:05 GMT
References: <1034@suvax1.UUCP>
Reply-To: chan@encore.UUCP (Jerry Chan)
Organization: Encore Computer Corp, Marlboro, MA
Lines: 30

In article <1034@suvax1.UUCP> hirayama@suvax1.UUCP (Pat Hirayama) writes:
>OK, world, here's my two-bits worth (inflation and the devalued $US):
>
>Enough of this.  (C) is perfectly acceptable for a copyright notice!
>I'm sure that all of you out there have seen the following notice in
>one form or the other:

Just because they use it doesn't set a legal precedent for the courts.
I have been informed by a lawyer who specializes in patents and trademarks
that the "(C)" ascii characters (that's the left-paren, C, right-paren)
do (emphatically) *not* meet the letter of the law, which is why it is wise
to add the word "Copyright" alongside of it.  Although the use of "(C)" has
not been tested to date as a legitimate way to copyright your work, I
certainly would not want to be the first to do so.

I agree, enough of this -- what's the bickering about?  Why not just include
the word "Copyright" with your name, year, and "All Rights Reserved" and
definitely meet the letter of the law?  Are we that short on space that an
additional 30 some-odd bytes would put us over the limit?

The "(C)" certainly wouldn't hurt in this case, but to use it by itself
without "Copyright" may be asking for trouble.  I certainly wouldn't want
the person who violates *my* copyrights to have *any* chance of winning a
judgment based on such a techicality.

   +----------------+  Jerry H. Chan                linus--+
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