Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!vx2!spector
From: spector@vx2.GBA.NYU.EDU (David HM Spector)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Please remove PD-YACC sources ... [history repeats..]
Message-ID: <880002@vx2.GBA.NYU.EDU>
Date: 5 Jul 88 18:27:00 GMT
References: <540@yunexus.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 26


If the code posted to the net is indeed _THE_ AT&T YACC, then of COURSE it
should be removed, and should never have been posted!  I didn't mean to imply
that AT&T should not protect its rights, I meant that since the posting was
unclear, and the letter as posted to comp.sources.d was sufficiently vague
that one should not just jump becuase AT&T says "jump". The GNU Project and
many others have written YACC replacements in the past.  I don't think AT&T
owns a trademark (I could be wrong.. I haven't actually looked) on the name
YACC, and one might argue successfully in court that in its domain, the term
YACC is used often and freely enough (and AT&T didn't aggressively seek to
defend its trademark) that the term YACC has joined the ranks of terms like
"XEROX", "KLEENEX" and "COKE" in being "a part of the language" and are now in
the public domain.  Note carefully however that "Kleenex Brand Tissues", "Xerox
copiers" (et al..), and "Coca-Cola" are still very much trademarks of their
respective owners...

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David HM Spector				New York University
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