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From: eager@amd.UUCP (Mike Eager)
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re:  Copyright notices in net.sources
Message-ID: <664@amd.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Nov-84 15:25:44 EST
Article-I.D.: amd.664
Posted: Wed Nov 28 15:25:44 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Nov-84 04:31:30 EST
References: <819@utastro.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: AMD Applications, Santa Clara, CA
Lines: 52

> 
> 	What exactly is required to copyright a program (or other
> work)?  Do I need to send off a form somewhere or just put the
> copyright notice on the program?  Am I covered legally if I just
> grant permission to copy and distribute but don't include a copyright
> statement?  How much?
> 
> Not a lawyer....
> 

I'm not a lawyer either, but I have done a good bit of investigation into
software copyright.

Basic requirement is that *when published* the work contain a statement of
the form 
	Copyright 1984, Michael J. Eager
where the name is the name of the owner of the copyright.

The current law provides that the author owns copyright from the time of 
creation.  There is no need for any statement.  When published, the work
may become public domain unless there is a copyright statement.  Transmission
via net.sources most likely constitutes publication, as does any kind of 
sale, or distribution of more than a very limited number of copies.

The circle-c is used to claim an international copyright.  It may be
substituted for the word copyright.

There seems to be mixed opinion about abbreviations for 'copyright' or
'circle-c'.  It appears that 'COPR.' is acceptable for 'copyright'.  It is
not clear that '(C)' or '(c)' is the same as the circle-c.  Abbreviations
of the owner's name also seem questionable.  But, IBM has the following on
their ROMs in the IBM/PC:  'COPR. 198x IBM'.

To ENFORCE a copyright infringement claim, the copyright must be filed with
the Library of Congress.  This is done at nominal cost ($10 I believe).  They
have some standards of submission for software, including listings and some
forms of machine readable source.  For large source files, one of the rules
is to provide the first and last 25 pages of listing, containing the copy-
right notice.  This may be done at any time prior to filing a copyright 
infringement suit.  You must file exactly the same work as the work being
infringed.  This means that if you find that version 1.0 is being copied, 
and you are currently working on version 5.9, the submission must be of 1.0.
If you have gotten to this point, you've talked to your lawyer and now know
ALL the details.

Trying to protect object code seems to be awkward/unclear/confused.  A lot
depends on the court.  Apple/Franklin upheld the copyright of object code. 
Datacash did not. 

-- Mike Eager
	(amd!eager)