In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Phoebus Dokos <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
I have stayed out of this although I have been a witness to the agony that Wolfgang went through before posting his mail. I know for an absolute fact that he has tried to contact D&D over several weeks about this issue and tried to solve the problem with any recourse to this list. I also know that D&D knew of the problem because Tony Firshman contacted them about it a while ago. Wolfgang has behaved in an honourable and restrained way about the whole affair.
Wolfgang,
I was under the impression that Peter had acquired (ie paid) the rights to resell/modify SMSQ/E... Since D&D systems act as his agents under British (and American) Common law (which not only gives them liability but also benefits), they are entitled to distribute SMSQ/E legally. They do not have the right to sell if for any other system but only for the Qx0 of course. All this of course is true provided that Peter DOES carry the right to modify/resell/develop SMSQ/E (which I believe is true).
The crux of the matter to many of us is the sentence:
'All this of course is true provided that Peter DOES carry the right to modify/resell/develop SMSQ/E (which I believe is true)'.
The whole point of the licence was to stop people modifying the code without some central controlling authority - which would be Wolfgang. Already he has been sidelined by this. While you all fret about the 10 Euros the real disservice is to modify the code and not say how. This could cause, in the end, major problems with existing software and this is the major reason why the licence exists. Although the 10 Euros was agreed as a thank you to TT after years of dedicated service we also wanted the code to remain controlled and Jochen and I did not want to have to state that the software we sold was not guaranteed to work on any of the Qxx systems. This is the situation we have if we allow the continued sale of unlicensed code.
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Roy Wood
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