Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!attctc!bobc
From: bobc@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Bob Calbridge)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Copyrighting
Keywords: advice
Message-ID: <10756@attctc.Dallas.TX.US>
Date: 28 Dec 89 05:05:12 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection, Dallas, Texas
Lines: 27

This may not be the right group for this question, but I couldn't find one
more appropriate.  The question concerns copyrighting.  I would think that
there are a number of people out there that have written programs that were
distributed as either public domain or shareware or freeware or I_don't_care_
ware.  Most of these program very likely carried a copyright.  I would like to
know what constitutes a copyright these days.

Many years ago I had stumbled on an article regarding the subject but things
change.  My understanding at the time was that it was only necessary to put
the copyright notice on the item, stating name and year.  I remember that you
were also supposed to distribute a copy to someone.

Does all of this still hold?  Are there other procedures?  At the very least
should the hardcopy be notarized?  If the item is a piece of software should
the copyright notice appear promenantly (sp?) in the program or can it be 
buried in the code so that would-be pretenders aren't apt to see it?

I have a project underway and I need to take some of these matters into 
consideration. 

Thanks,
Bob
-- 
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