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Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ptsfa!hoptoad!unisoft!gethen!bdt!david
From: david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Re: Copyright notices (was: Shareware? Hah!)
Message-ID: <160@bdt.UUCP>
Date: 2 Mar 88 22:35:40 GMT
References: <4815@ihlpg.ATT.COM> <3343@killer.UUCP> <2608@gryphon.CTS.COM> <333@esquire.UUCP> <22977@brunix.UUCP> <21023@bbn.COM> <147@bdt.UUCP> <3689@diku.dk>
Reply-To: david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer)
Organization: Beckemeyer Development Tools, Oakland, CA
Lines: 31

In article <3689@diku.dk> keld@diku.dk (Keld J|rn Simonsen) writes:
   [deleted a lot about Berner Union]
>Well, it is the common theory within Berner Union experts that 
>software *is* protected by the international copyright convention,
>this has been discussed a lot of times in these circles, and in
>other international legal circles discussion the protection of
>software rights.
  [ more deleted ]
>It should be enough to go to the police. But then it seems that the
>police did not know the legal status. Did you talk to a copyright
>lawyer?

My point was that "legal" or not, and regardless of any discussions
to that effect here or elsewhere:  DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP.  The
authorites showed no desire to help a small software company in Oakland;
that includes both US and German authorites (police and Fed. agencies).

Any attempts to bring justice would have meant a law suit in German courts.
Several US and German copyright lawyers (supposedly some of the top ones
in the world) advised against doing anything (a strange practice for a
lawyer with nothing to lose) becuase it would be very costly, and the
outcome would at best be a court order to stop production, which the
company could simply ignore anyway since the police had better things
to do.

In other words: you can read and discuss laws and legalities all you want,
but in the *real world* all this means very little.
-- 
David Beckemeyer			| "To understand ranch lingo all yuh
Beckemeyer Development Tools		| have to do is to know in advance what
478 Santa Clara Ave, Oakland, CA 94610	| the other feller means an' then pay
UUCP: ...!ihnp4!hoptoad!bdt!david 	| no attention to what he says"