Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!apple!chuq
From: chuq@Apple.COM (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Sun-Macintosh emulator
Message-ID: <27749@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 23 Mar 89 16:44:06 GMT
References: <27619@apple.Apple.COM> <12124@reed.UUCP>
Organization: Life is just a Fantasy novel played for keeps
Lines: 51

>>[[I probably shouldn't respond, but...]]

>What's the matter, Chuq?  Apple got your tongue?

Nope. I just know when a discussion is likely to get involved in issues I'd
rather avoid arguing about. That's one of the nice aspects of working here --
they don't tell you not to talk about things. They expect you to be smart
enough to know what you shouldn't blab.

>>Just a reminder that copying the ROM's would likely be considered illegal.
>
>Once you buy a Mac, the ROM's
>are legal copies of copyrighted media that you now own.  Case law, at
>the moment, treats software and ROM code, I believe, like any other
>media.  *Theoretically*, then, you can make copies of ROM's for
>personal use.

Most software gets around this by licensing it to you rather than selling it
to you (the famous "license to use on one system and make copies for
archival purpose only" clause...). The ROM? I honestly don't know. However,
even if you could make copies for personal use, that precludes, say, making
a copy for a friend's clone. It definitely precludes someone like a dealer
making copies and giving them away with every clone. 

So at the very least, if you wanted to buy a clone, you'd have to buy a Mac
to be legal. Then you could, potentially, run both of them off the single
ROM in some way or another.

But this is somewhat of a moot point, because you also have to have the
System Software (system, finder, et al) -- and that, I think you'll find, is
under a licensing agreement. Without both, unless those folks want to
re-implement all of the software, it wouldn't do much good.

It'd also be interesting to see if Apple's lawyers would allow a company to
sell a clone sans ROMs. A good case could be made for an intent to violate
the copyrights, which would be an interesting legal case (actually, there ar
precedents: a person caught with drug paraphernalia like bongs is considered
to be showing intent to break drug laws -- arguing that the bong is just a
cute flower vase isn't likely to do much good)

(massive disclaimers! massive disclaimers!)



Chuq Von Rospach       -*-      Editor,OtherRealms      -*-      Member SFWA
chuq@apple.com  -*-  CI$: 73317,635  -*-  Delphi: CHUQ  -*-  Applelink: CHUQ
      [This is myself speaking. No company can control my thoughts.]

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