Re: Some copyright info to think about

[w.yeo@qut.edu.au]

!smentzer@ecom.net (Steve Mentzer) wrote:

> Your solutions leave us with 3 choices.
>
> 	o Get the laws changed (fat chance)
> 	o Find the company, authors, or publishers of the software and
> 	  get them to reclassify it as shareware (good luck finding 75%
> 	  of these people).
> 	o Wait until the copyrights run out (~84 years and counting?).
>
> The only reasonable choice is the 2nd, which means that someone with a LOT
> of time on their hands (and a good lawyer) would have to convince the legal
> department of some company or individual that propably doesn't exist that
> you want to have them release a holding with tangible value to the public
> for free use and distribution, even though they have no intention of
> distributing or marketing the software anyway.

	Honestly, I don't see the reason why not ? Firstly, just call the software
company to see if they are interested in reclassifying the software to be
generally distributable in it's original form without modification. Otherwise,
if someone who knows the programmer, you can speak to the programmer to see if
he owns the right to change it.

	If most software companies do not publish the title to a non-marketed
platform, they would not mind having it redistribute. Why can't you ask ? For
havens sake, I wrote to a number of software companies, and I am in Australia,
I can't afford those IDD bills across the Pacific Ocean. Those of you within a
local call to the software companies, if you are not bothered to help, then I
see no point making so much noise at all.

	Our ulimate goal is to preserve as much titles as possible.

> Does this sound a little unrealistic? I thought so.

	This is STUPID ! Look at it this way, if Charles Turley have the guts to
even go to the extent to try to locate the copyright owners of WordPerfect GS,
why can't anyone else try to ask nicely to software companies ? He may not
have gotten it right for WPGS, but his attempt (following the successful
reclassification of Medley GS) is to be applauded.

	I, too, made mistakes. I took the Beagle Oldies off my list when Joe Kohn
challenged me that the original permission (one of the Beagle programmers) was
not of the actual copyright owner, and it took pains from me getting the
relavant info and writing to the copyright owner for official permission.

	If everyone is to contribute less rant and spare a bit of time that you
will use writing all these useless rants, make a call to those companies, you
will at least have the satisfaction of even TRYING.

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