James Wages <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I must admit that there is little to no illegalities that I can > see going on at Retromac. They ban Microsoft and other "major > apps" from being uploaded, and they are focused on offering > "abandonware" which is a different category than "pirated" software.
The problem isn't with what you and I think. The problem isn't with the two of us agreeing or disagreeing. (Personally, I cannot see any direct harm caused by replicating old software which is no longer being published.) The problem is with the lawyers companies hire, and the judges who make the decisions. If any legal authorities get into these Hotline servers and mailing lists, the game is over. Even if no direct harm comes to us as individuals, the servers would be shut down and the lists would probably meet a similar fate through association. If you want to tell somebody where to find "backup copies" you are best off doing it off list. > I know some of you may have strong opinions on such, but this is > indeed a legal gray area in the United States. And for those of > us outside the US, it's more of a "light gray." There is no spirit of a law, only a literal interpretation. The only thing which saves our asses is that copyright law is civil law. The police and courts cannot really do anything about us unless the rights holder comes in to press charges. As long as we are fairly quiet, that probably won't happen. I agree with what you say about restoring corrupt diskettes. I agree with what you are saying about abandoned software. The problem is, does the law agree with us. Now perhaps I can take a holier-than-thou attitude here because I have a large, legal software library. I just checked my backups, and there are over 340 MB of compressed floppy disk images. If I look in my desk, that amounts to about two cubic feet of floppy diskettes. And that is primarily 68k Macintosh software. (I probably have an additional cubic foot or so of CD's and Apple II floppy diskettes which still have to be imaged!) I am clearly not lacking, and can do almost anything on a 68k. Still, I don't think I'm asking for too much: just take these suggestions off list so that the good times do not end. I know it is nice to share universally, but the law pretty much says: thou shalt not share. Unfortunately, we are under the tyranny of the authorities. Byron. -- System6 is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 123Inkjets.com <http://lowendmac.com/ad/123inkjets.html> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> System 6 Heaven <http://www.euronet.nl/users/mvdk/system_6_heaven.html> System6 info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/system6.html> --> 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/system6%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
