Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mstan!amull
From: amull@Morgan.COM (Andrew P. Mullhaupt)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Old Software: what's legal/ethical?
Summary: Legal or Ethical
Message-ID: <647@s5.Morgan.COM>
Date: 6 Jan 90 16:08:45 GMT
References: <1990Jan4.152944.8744@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <1130011@hpavla.HP.COM>
Organization: Morgan Stanley & Co. NY, NY
Lines: 21


There is a thread here about if it's "OK" to give away old copies
of software, and lots of people are saying that Legally, it doesn't
look that the developer can sue you if you break the shrink-wrap
license. 

OK, fine. Is it then still Ethical to do this? Isn't there an 
implication of bad faith on the part of someone who agrees to a
license they fully intend to circumvent or subvert? I have to
admit that I don't entirely sympathize with the developer's point
of view (I think licenses should have an expiration of about one
or two years on 'em - or else support should be in perpetuity as
well!) but I'll also have to admit that I've used Borland's "book
model" license by buying new copies instead of upgrades so I can
hand the old versions down to my brother with a clear conscience.
Their prices are low enough that I can afford to do this. Lotus,
on the other hand entirely prevents this. (Word Perfect now costs
less than Lotus Manuscript. Who's kidding who here?)

Later,
Andrew Mullhaupt