Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ucsd!rutgers!bellcore!tness7!tness1!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: "PD Piracy"
Message-ID: <2601@sugar.uu.net>
Date: 11 Sep 88 00:12:30 GMT
Organization: Sugar Land Unix - Houston, TX
Lines: 30


I have just been informed...
> ...that a West-Berlin based company
> is offering Browser along with 46 other PD/ShareWare products as a
> sampler for DM 95,- (about $50)...

The person who informed me of this went on to say that this is a clear
offense against general PD rules, since the disks are being sold for
$5 apiece. The message went on to offer to help me should I wish to seek
legal recourse.

Frankly, I don't see what the problem is.

First, this is improving the distribution of a program I wished to be as
widely distributed as possible. I wish Commodore shipped Browser with every
Amiga. I wrote it because there is a serious gap between the CLI and the 
the Workbench, a gap I saw I could fill.

Second, there is nothing wrong with charging for PD stuff. Fred Fish does
this. For $5 a disk, even.

The only thing that would upset me would be if they tried to prevent
other people from passing it on for free... but even that is not illegal.
the concept of a compilation copyright is pretty widely accepted.

I understand that some of the other authors whose works have been included in
this collection are upset. They should certainly contect the company and make
their feelings known. I don't see what they can legally do, though.
-- 
		Peter da Silva  `-_-'  peter@sugar.uu.net
		 Have you hugged  U  your wolf today?