Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!gatech!bbn!apple!jk
From: jk@Apple.COM (John Kullmann)
Newsgroups: gnu.gcc
Subject: Re: GNU's not GNU...
Message-ID: <28354@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 4 Apr 89 07:21:28 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 35


EPRF%SNYCENVM.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
In article <8903301740.AA18134@prep.ai.mit.edu> you write:
>I hate to burn bandwidth on a religious crusade, but isn't it interesting
>that the two companies most involved in "look and feel" litigation, Apple
>and Lotus, didn't create the intellectual property they are so aggressively
>defending (anyone remember the Alto or Visicalc).
>
>If lawsuits like this had been in vogue a few years ago Apple's big product
>would still be the Apple-II.

You just don't get it. I am not a lawyer, thank god, and this is my personal
opinion not Apple's, but here goes.  This crap about how Apple stole all this
from Xerox etc. is not relevant.  The issue is the expression of the idea,
not the idea. For example, an analogy would be the Civil War. Gone with the
Wind is copyrightable. You cannot recreate that expression of the Civil War 
without expecting to get sued. You are free to create and market/give away
your own expression of the Civil War. If it looks like GWTW, smells like
GWTW, or quacks like GWTW, the copyright holder for GWTW will probably
sue you.

I would like to talk to the FSF about the possiblity of donating
some Apple H/W S/W to the FSF. If there is interest I will try to arrange
for a donation.  I am willing to do this in spite of the
fact that they are actively waging an anti-Apple hate campaign
through those lame buttons, hate text in their releases etc. If they do
not accept, or accept and sell the donation and use the $$ or squash
the stuff under a steamroller, that should pretty well establish that
GNU is only GNU as long as rms gets his way (or something like that...).

--------------------   	    -------------------------------------
John Kullmann		    "The above fact and/or fiction is the personal
..!apple!jk		     opinion of John Kullmann and not Apple Computer."
jk@apple.com		     Copyright 1989 by John Kullmann