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From: KFL%MX.LCS.MIT.EDU@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU ("Keith F. Lynch")
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Swedish copyright laws
Message-ID: <961981.861214.KFL@MX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Date: Sun, 14-Dec-86 02:13:50 EST
Article-I.D.: MX.961981.861214.KFL
Posted: Sun Dec 14 02:13:50 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 16-Dec-86 01:20:25 EST
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Please reply to me, I am not on Unix-Emacs.

    From: Christer Johansson 

    ... The swedish copyright law only applies to programs if they're works
    of art.  (In a lawsuit recently visicalc was found not to be a work of
    art.  The same would probably hold for emacs.) ...

  Great.  No doubt people are wondering why so many popular American
programs are no longer for sale in Sweden, and why very little good
software is written there any more.
  Why not give the individual a choice?  If he doesn't find a given
program worth the hassle of not being allowed to copy it, he doesn't
have to buy it.  But why should other people, who may find the utility
of the program worth its cost and restrictions, be forced to go along
with his choice?
  Why shouldn't the author of software have a choice?  He can put any
restrictions he likes on the use of his program, and if people don't
like it, they can choose not to buy it.  Instead, he is told if he
writes a program, and the Swedish government doesn't consider it a
work of art (as if government's proper role was that of art critic)
that anyone may steal a copy for himself.
								...Keith