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From: malloy@ittral.UUCP (William P. Malloy)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Another view on software protection
Message-ID: <199@ittral.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 20-Aug-85 12:44:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: ittral.199
Posted: Tue Aug 20 12:44:36 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 00:48:05 EDT
References: <890@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Reply-To: malloy@ittral.UUCP (William P. Malloy)
Organization: ITT Telecom B&CC Eng. Group, Raleigh, NC
Lines: 20


> From: kurt@fluke.UUCP (Kurt Guntheroth)
> 
> Bundling with hardware:  This scheme worked for IBM for years, and still
> works for many hardware manufacturers in smaller markets.  If it takes
> another copy of difficult-to-make hardware to run a stolen copy of the
> software, piracy is effectively useless.

Some good points, but there's one thing to remember.  It is ILLEGAL to bundle
the software with your hardware and refuse to sell it to anyone any other way.
I believe some company (DG??) just lost a court case on this very point.  It
comes under the antitrust laws.  It was used by the manufacturers as a method
of locking people into using their hardware.  IBM stopped doing this in 1969
when they we're being sued by the Justice Dept. on monopoly charges.  The same
case which was dropped about 12 years later without ever going to court.

Discussions on that lawsuit should probably go to net.legal or net.flame.
-- 
Address: William P. Malloy, ITT Telecom, B & CC Engineering Group, Raleigh NC
         {ihnp4!mcnc, burl, ncsu, decvax!ittvax}!ittral!malloy