Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!gatech!psuvax1!vu-vlsi!dsinc!syd
From: syd@dsinc.UUCP (Syd Weinstein)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport
Subject: Re: Microport Users Corp.
Message-ID: <332@dsinc.UUCP>
Date: 12 Mar 88 04:33:39 GMT
References: <176@sdeggo.UUCP> <215@sdti.UUCP> <178@sdeggo.UUCP>
Reply-To: syd@dsinc.UUCP (Syd Weinstein)
Organization: Datacomp Systems, Inc., Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
Lines: 40
Keywords: sources
Summary: Its not quite so easy folks

In article <178@sdeggo.UUCP> dave@sdeggo.UUCP (David L. Smith) writes:
:In article <215@sdti.UUCP>, mjy@sdti.UUCP (Michael J. Young) writes:
:> In article <176@sdeggo.UUCP> dave@sdeggo.UUCP (David L. Smith) writes:
:> >[proposal to form a private company with access to Microport sources]
:> 
:> >Now for the tough question:  Is this feasible and legal?  I believe that a
:> >source license applies to the company as a whole, not just a single machine,
:> >so I don't see a problem there.  
:> 
:> When we've gotten licenses from AT&T, they are for a specific machine - you
:> even have to tell them what the serial number of the machine is.
:
:Well, if Microport can send sources out to consultants, so could we.  Another
:proposal that has been made is to have the corporation maintain an AT or
:two that the employees could dial-in to to access the sources.  After all,
:who wants to keep 20M or so of sources on-line?
: 
I wish it was so easy.  As a holder of one of those AT&T licenses let
me tell you it cost $$$$ per copy.  They don't let you make copies for
consultants for free.  Plus, those copies must be preceeded by all the
normal non disclosure agreements and another agreement to return all
manuals and code at the end of the project.  AT&T is told where the
copy is and what machine type it is being put on.  You would have to
really provide a service for Microport before it would be worth it to
have a whole bunch of people with the code.  

As to dialing in for access.  Microport has to make sure that trade
secrets are not released (AT&T's secrets).  A lot of unknown dialin
people can lead their lawyers into a tail spin.

As for forming your own company, well, first there is the AT&T source
license fee, then I am sure Microport has a fee for their version of the
source.   Then there is all the non disclosure agreements and work for
hire agreements.  Its not a minor cost.

-- 
=====================================================================
Sydney S. Weinstein, CDP, CCP
Datacomp Systems, Inc.				Voice: (215) 947-9900
{allegra,bellcore,bpa,vu-vlsi}!dsinc!syd	FAX:   (215) 938-0235