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From: erkyrath@netcom.com (Andrew Plotkin)
Subject: Re: Copyright on old adve
Message-ID: <erkyrathE49o72.A9C@netcom.com>
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References: <19970114.B2808.82C7@van-as-05b16.direct.ca> <66.6782.1782@tabb.com>
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 1997 17:49:50 GMT
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Joe Mason (joe.mason@tabb.com) wrote:
> "Re: Copyright on old adve", declared Travers Naran from the Vogon ship:

> TN>As for "it can be freely downloaded, why do I need permission?"
> TN>Because the simple answers are:

> TN> a) Just because you can get it "free" does not mean the rights are
> TN> public domain.

> TN> b) I doubt that the place you are downloading it from is legally
> TN> empowered to do so (i.e., it's pirated).  Unless Melbourne House
> TN> has specifically released the rights, it's still their game.

> Also, there's the case of the copy of Zork 1 that Activision posted.  It 
> could be freely downloaded, but they wanted people to get it from 
> *their* Web page in order to see the ads for Zork Nemesis.  If the game 
> is freely downloadable as part of an offer or publicity campaign, 
> allowing people to copy it for somebody else would defeat the purpose 
> (as far as the company's concerned).

To be even more specific, a company (or person) may declare the copying 
rights to be anything they want. They can say "You may freely take a copy 
of program X from this Internet site, but you do not have permission to 
distribute copies to other people."

I don't know if this is what Activision did. It is, however, what Apple 
does for a lot of its software (ResEdit, free system software updates and 
extensions.) They're free, but Apple's servers are the only authorized 
source. (Well, Apple's servers and third parties authorized by Apple.)

--Z
-- 

"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the
borogoves..."
