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From: khill@home.csc.ti.com (Ken Hill - Patents)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.apple,comp.sys.cbm,comp.sys.atari.8bit,comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: pirating, etc.
Message-ID: <46191@ti-csl.CSNET>
Date: 7 Apr 88 16:21:16 GMT
References: <2969@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Sender: news@ti-csl.CSNET
Reply-To: khill@home.UUCP (Ken Hill - Patents)
Followup-To: misc.legal
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Organization: TI Computer Science Center, Dallas
Lines: 29

In article <2969@gryphon.CTS.COM> arthur@pnet02.cts.com (Arthur L. Rubin) writes:
.kudla@pawl20.pawl.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) writes:
.>...Also, like an audio recording, any 
.>computer-based record cannot be used as evidence in a court of law.
.
.This is news to me.  Can any lawyers confirm or deny.  It seems to me that, if
.discovered, a copy of a computer program could be prosecuted for copyright
.violation if the owner cannot produce an "offical" copy.
.Arthur L. Rubin
.
Computer based records can be entered, as long as certain ground rules
are observed.  They can be entered to prove that the information they
contain is actually true, if they fall within an exception to the
hearsay rule.  For example, business records kept in the normal course
of business, when introduced and authenticated by a custodian, can be
so used. 

They may also be used against a party to refute something they said,
or to show merely that they have an illegal copy, etc.  In any case,
all records must be properly authenticated, but this is not much more
difficult than for other kinds of documents.  For example, here in
Dallas, two engineers were convicted of theft of trade secrets when
tapes full of software taken from their previous employer were found
at their new employer, and it was shown that the software had been
loaded onto the new employer's system.

There are no typos.  If you think you saw one, see an opthamolo... optaha...
ophthamal... eye doctor.
Ken Hill
{convex!smu, texsun,im4u,seismo!ut-sally!im4u}!ti-csl!khill