At 08:36 AM 1/20/2003 +0100, you wrote: >On this note, does anyone know the legalities of abandoned software? Is there >an inventory anywhere of what software is legally abandoned? Also, what is >the legality of software where the co. that produced it is no more, hence >it is not available? > >Thanks, > >Yane
Strictly legally, if a company hasn't released the copyright, and the copyright holder still exists, then it can not legally be distributed. If Sierra says we can't distribute Mystery House, more or less their first game from the early 80's, then it's not legal to distribute it. That's not to say they'll prosecute if it is, but strictly speaking it's not legal. I'm not going to get into a moral vs. justified vs. "If they're not going to sell it, then why not" argument, just speaking strictly. As far as I know, in the case where the copyright holder truly doesn't exist any longer and wasn't just bought by someone else (thereby transferring the copyrights in most cases), it would then be legal to distribute it. "Abandonware" is just a buzzword created by those trying to justify it. I'm personally on the side of preserving old, but useful software that isn't being sold anymore, but that doesn't change the fact it's still techincally illegal. Scott Holder -- Quadlist is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Quadlist info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/quadlist.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/quadlist%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
