I agree.
We should not start getting involved into a long, tiring,
and potentially dangerous legal argument and just don't use
Windows screenshots any more.
Stick to a UNIX OS for screenshots and for UI features
that are unique to Windows, just display the relevant part
of the screen without including any OS elements to be on the
safe side
Thanks for raising the issue, btw, I wasn't aware of that
situation -- and basically agree with marbux' posting that these
rules are probably not worth the paper they are not printed on
but OTOH don't want to waste my time quarrelling with MS legal depts.
Frank
Peter M. Damiana wrote:
Dear Sigrid,
I suggest that if Microsoft is being difficult about this issue, then we
should simply make screenshots by using other OS, since OOo works
practically the same way on all OS'.
Regards
Peter
-----Original Message-----
From: Sigrid Kronenberger [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: woensdag 8 november 2006 14:59
To: authors@user-faq.openoffice.org; dev@documentation.openoffice.org;
dev@native-lang.openoffice.org
Subject: [documentation-dev] Question about the right for using Screenshots
of OOo on Microsoft Windows
Hello @all,
(sorry for cross-posting, I'm not sure, which list is the correct one for
this topic)
We had a long discussion on the German dev-list about using screenshots of
OOo made on any MS operating system in our documentation.
We found only the following on Microsoft's website:
http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/permissions/default.mspx#E3C
(English) or
http://www.microsoft.com/germany/unternehmen/informationen/rechtlichehinweis
e/bilder.mspx#ECGAC
(German)
We didn't know, how to interpret this, so André Schnabel wrote an email to
Microsoft Germany, asking if we're allowed to do this. His question includes
the fact, that even when we're doing screen shots of our own software, that
title bars, scroll bars and "OK" buttons are provided by the OS. (And it's
self-evident, that we don't do any pictures of logo's, cliparts or any other
trademarked stuff.)
We want to be sure, that we're allowed to use a free license (PDL) for
documentation and screen shots. Can we allow other users to reuse the screen
shots, and can we allow them, that they can edit the screenshots (the German
website of Microsoft says "No" to this).
The answer from the Microsoft person was, that the mentioned things belong
to the OS, and that the rules stated on the above websites are valid. Using
screen shots made under Microsoft Windows is acceptable, as long as we
mention, that the program runs on MS Windows.
Does anyone of you have any experience with this? Or knows more than we
about copyright? Is is possible and legal, that MS claims, that we have to
follow their rules for the copyright? Has anyone of the other european
projects some more experience with this?
Should we redo all screen shots by using a different operating system (like
Linux, BSD) to prevent every problems with Microsoft? What do you think?
We hope for some help and advise.
Sigrid
PS: I hope, you all understand what I wanted to say, if not, please ask and
I'll try to rephrase the problem.
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