Re: TI-82 Mac users only


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Re: TI-82 Mac users only



At 10:09 AM 10/4/97 GMT, you wrote:
>Okay, before anyone is going to post stupid stuff like:
>
>| It's all public domain because it's on the net.
>| We can copy it as long as we don't modify it.
>| copyrights, like patents, must be registered.
>
>go READ UP ON THE COPYRIGHT LAWS! Posting about stuff you don't know
>anything about, peoples, makes you look dumb. Crash course copyrights:
>
>1. the word means, the RIGHT to COPY. only the author or people who
>have written consent from the author have the right to copy.

However, to put a LEGAL copyright on your code, game, etc., you must file
with the U.S. government (or the government of your nation).  Therefore,
without getting a legal copyright, your source, game, and everything else
can (legally) be used without giving you credit.

>2. Anything ever made is copyrighted. A copyright notice helps, and an
>application to the copyrights office helps even more. However, the
>only difference it makes is the amount of money you get as
>compensation in a court case.

WRONG!  You can say something is copyrighted but you can't bring the issue
to court if you haven't registered the copyright with the U.S. government
(at least U.S. regulations require you to do so).  A copyright costs money,
so most people don't bother with the time consuming process of doing it
especially for cheap games for the TI-xx calc series.

>3. having products on the net and it's public domain? what are you
>thinking? You can get internet explorer from the net.. you can get
>tons of stuff from the net.. so it's public domain? anyone can take
>inet explorer's source, modify it some, and sell it in the stores? WHy
>don't you do that and see what M$ is going to do.
>
>4. Ticalc doesn't just take things and put em on their website. In
>fact, most ti websites have been 'stealing' them off of there, without
>consent of the author. Either the author uploaded it, or ticalc asked
>if they could put it up, or there is written consent in the docs:
>
> A. This product is freeware and may be freely distributed in it's
>original form as long as no fee is charged for it beyond compensation.
>
> B. This product is public domain.
>
> both of the above would allow ticalc to use the product as it counts
>as written consent. if such a note isn't there, you CANNOT COPY IT.
>Unmodified form has nothing to do with it. Only if it's an A-type
>notice does that one come into play. Those who want to release a disk
>must either get written consent from the author that they don't mind
>him getting a profit out of it, -OR- charge less than $5 for a disk.
>Someone was mumbling about a CDR.. the idea is a good old floppy disk.
>There is no way S&H and 1 to 2 floppy disks costs more than $5.
>
>
>Okay, let's end this whole deal.
>
>If you want to distribute a disk, either charge $5 or less, or get a
>note from EVERY SINGLE AUTHOR, written and signed, that they don't
>mind you making a profit out of it, and that they don't want any of
>the profits. if an author doesn't agree, you can't put their
>program(s) on your disk.
>


I think most of my information has just burst your bubble of security about
the legality of "copyrighted" programs that haven't been registered with
the U.S. government.  My dad has studied Copyright Law and knows basically
every legal trick in the book (I learned all I know from him).  I know a
few things about it and from what I can say is that honesty is the key.  If
everybody is honest, and asks permission before they make distribution
disks or use someone else's source (I failed in this area once and I
learned the hard way), then the Copyright Law would be worthless.  However,
every human makes mistakes and hopefully some learn from their mistakes.

Hope that helps you all out,

                 Thomas J. Hruska -- thruska@tir.com
Shining Light Productions -- "Meeting the needs of fellow programmers"
         http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/8504
                    http://shinelight.home.ml.org


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