Reclassification - Wordperfect

["Penman" <anonymous@cotse.com>]

A very good argument, Steve, and should the copyright laws ever be changed to reflect your 
suggestions, I would welcome the dynamic changes thus made.  However--in almost all areas 
of law that I've delat with, these sort of changes only affect material (read: software in this 
case) that would fall under the new copyright law FROM THAT POINT ON.  Copyrighted 
material that fell under the old laws would be, unless specifically changed by the current law, 
would be "grandfathered" under the statutes that held sway at the time the work was 
copyrighted.  So, while your system would have some effect on new material, the bulk of the 
Apple II software we've been discussing would still be subject to what we currently have in 
effect.  To wit: unless you get he copyright holder's permission first, uploading to an ftp site is 
piracy.  Plain and simple.  Roy and Q-C have it right, regardless of what others wish were the 
case.  If I want a piece of software I can always see if it's been released via The Treasure 
Chest or Lost Classics efforts, help either of the aforementioned by working to get it released 
(BTW, Tom--on the Empire Series, the author, per your own post doesn't own the rights to the 
series, EduWare does, or whoever bought the EduWare rights.  The author can't release what 
he doesn't own), or by buying it on the used market.  Easy choices, something us Vogons can 
see, I guess, but the Penzance (as in Pirates of, if I got the spelling correctly) folk refuse to 
see.  Software reclassification works.  Piracy does too, but it's messier, and harder to justify.

Penman