UNIXPC: 3.5.1.4 worth my time?

dave sueme dsueme at chinet.chi.il.us
Sat Aug 5 14:56:19 AEST 1989


>Hypothetical question:  Suppose someone from the "Institute for
>Unix-PC Research" used legally licensed 3B1 OS source, purchased from
>AT&T, to hack up the general disk driver...                          
>                   How illegal would it be to give away the BINARY of
>the new driver?  What about the general case of binary bugfix patches?
 
Depends entirely on the terms of the license granted by AT&T and what
that license has to say about "derivative works".  AT&T can grant or
reserve any of the rights that they have (mostly all of the rights) and
if they grant the right to distribute [possibly under given terms, e.g.
no sales] then such distribution is as legal as drinking milk.  If
such right is not granted then copyright infringement is illegal
enough: big fine (50,000 ? - I disremember), possible prison, CIVIL
DAMAGES... uugh!

David M. Sueme
Attorney (Illinois)



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