Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!vaxine!wjh12!genrad!decvax!mcnc!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!sri-unix!POURNE@Mit-Mc.ARPA From: POURNE@Mit-Mc.ARPA Newsgroups: net.micro.cpm Subject: keeping modm700 in the public domain Message-ID: <853@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Thu, 14-Jun-84 03:23:00 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.853 Posted: Thu Jun 14 03:23:00 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 19-Jun-84 01:22:59 EDT Lines: 21 From: Jerry E. PournelleIn the United States, anything which has been published without copyright notice, or published with copyright notice plus message to effect that it is released into public domain is in public domain; claims to the contrary are not going to be enforced by courts and authorities. The case where a public domain work is modified and then copyright is attempted is cloudy. Take "My Fair Lady": this is of course drawn from Bernard Shaw's now public domain Pygmalian; but of course it is also an original work. When first done Pygmalian was not public domain, and license fees were paid to the Shaw estate. Now the original is PD but My Fair lady decidedly is not, as you will find if you try to put it on without obtaining permission. Susanna is an opera drawn from the Bible which is certainly PD; but Susanna is not. A copyright is no more than a license to sue (under certain circumstances); there are supposed criminal penalties for willfull violation of copyright but in practice these are seldom applied.