Re: Mecc titles

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

"Mike Westerfield" <MikeW50@aol.com> wrote:

>(Byron Desnoyers Winmill) wrote:
>
>> If they can enforce the law regardless of what the copyright holder says,
>> would that not give the government the right to prosecute individuals who
>> were given permission via the copyright owner or some other copyright
>> agreement?

No because the granting of such permission (in writing)
extends the copyright to the individual or group per the
details of the licensing agreement.

That's why you can buy software, which comes with a
licensing agreement that grants you use of the software.

A "freeware declaration" in writing is essentially a similar
licensing agreement except with more generous terms.

That's why Apple makes you read a licensing agreement
even when downloading free software like HyperCard for
the Apple IIGS.

>No, it wouldn't. If you have permission of the copyright holder to use the
>copyright, it's not copyright violation.  Regardless of what the publisher
>says, if you can produce a document with the copyright owners signature
>giving you permission to do whatever it is you're doing, you would be
>covered.

Not necessarily.  In the writing business, for example,
or the photography business, publishers may buy
exclusive rights to an individual's work.  If a magazine
buys exclusive rights to an article, for example, the
copyright holder (the author) is no longer free to sell
the same article to another magazine.  Similarly, if a
photographer sells a photo to a postcard company
under an exclusive right agreement, the photographer
can't sell the photo elsewhere.  In fact, under such
agreements, the individual who made the article or
photo can't even make thousands of copies of the
work and distribute it for free since that's stealing the
business from the publisher.  However, the author/
photographer must still be acknowledged as the
creator of the work.  Basically, you will always own
your work, but if you enter into such an agreement,
you can't do with it as you please.