At 12:11 pm +0100 10/4/99, Chris White wrote: [major snippage] >No , the law states that you bought a (for instance) , a game and was told >it would help you do word processing you could get a full (in whatever you >paid in refund) , so say you bought a word processor that had a spell >checker in it , but it only check for US syntac , you could get a full >refund
Well, Yes that is more-or-less what I just said, and it is precisely correct. You'd previously been trying to argue that this particular law meant something rather different. >> If the program mostly worked, but one little bit >> needed tweaking and the programmers were unwilling to do that, I might fix >> it if it were within my ability to do so. > >But you need not as if you bought it for the slightly unworking part , you >are entitled to a fix (if sold stating it does this) or refund . What if I don't want a refund? Maybe noone else makes a program which does this job either. >> >Big for instance , if you modfied a piece of >> >software and then sold you machine (With all software as required by law) >, >> >then said modified software cause damage to machine who is liable? >> >> What exactly do you mean? I know of no such law, that requires me to >bundle >> software if I sell my computer. > >If you bought a computer then some software and you sold the computer , if >it has software on it you MUST by law pass on the original etc.... Yes I know, but I thought you were talking about the modified copy. Obviously one copy or the other must be deleted. The new user either gets the unmodified original, fully licenced, or the new user gets nothing at all. I would probably want to keep using the software, so I'd remove it from the old machine before sale. >> If I did sell a machine including a modified program, then I would be >> distributing a modified copy and that would be breaking UK law. > >Correct modifing software is breaking the law :) (Would get the jury on that >one) No, read my words again, I did NOT say that. The act of modifying software is NOT breaking UK law. But the act of DISTRIBUTING modified software IS breaking UK law. Is it not actually a very simple distinction indeed? >> Let's say you buy a fully working copy of RCT. What would happen, in three >> year's time, if you accidentally scratched that CD, and it no longer >> loaded? The publisher, if they were even still in business, would be >> unlikely to see it as their problem and would almost certainly not provide >> you with a free replacement. If you wanted to play the game again, you'd >> probably have to buy another copy unless you'd previously made a backup, >in >> which case there wouldn't be a problem. > >Accidenally scratching a CD is neglect on USERS part, Yes of course it is. That's why the company won't give you a free replacement. So either you shell out for a second copy of the same game, or you restore it from the backup you'd made. Note - this is not piracy. You already own a copy of that game. You have paid for a copy of that game. Restoring your own copy of of that game from your own backup of your own copy of that game, is not taking money from the software producers (unless they actively account for people paying twice, which is probably a very good way to irritate their customers). Are you seriously trying to tell me it is my moral or legal responsibility to pay twice for the same game? >> I should take more care to ensure that the >> modifications are not distributed, because the distribution of the >> modifications is illegal. However, actually making the modifications in >the >> first place, is certainly not. > >In theory yes , but you have in effect , modify a Copyright product and it >is no longer in original form, which is against the Copyright owners wishes >and rights! Modifiying the program may be against the owner's wishes, but it is not against the owner's rights. The owner doesn't *have* those rights, because they cannot be upheld by UK law. Andrew -- | Andrew Collier | email [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Talk sense to a | Part 2 NatSci | http://carou.sel.cam.ac.uk/ | fool and he +----------------+-----------------------------+ calls you foolish | Selwyn College Student Computer Support Team | -- Euripides
