Re: Software 'licensing' <RANT>

[at217@chebucto.ns.ca (Michael Hackett)]

Peter F Handel (handel@stolaf.edu) wrote:
> This is the way I've always understood the law (and please correct me
> if I'm wrong): It is perfectly fine and legal to buy one copy of a
> program and put it on 2 computers _IF_ you can be 100% sure that only
> one copy of it is running at once.  The moment you run the same
> program on two different computers at once is the moment you're
> breaking the law.

Bingo! That's how I read it as well. We'll all admit that no software
company is going to come after anyone for this sort of infringement,
but it is nonetheless illegal, UNLESS the license specifically gives
you this right. (Licenses can give you more rights but probably cannot 
legally reduce the rights you would otherwise have. I say probably
because I don't think this has ever been challenged in court, and I'm
a programmer (dammit!), not a lawyer. :-)