Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!iuvax!bsu-cs!uwmcsd1!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!astieber From: astieber%csd4.milw.wisc.edu@csd1.milw.wisc.edu (Anthony J Stieber) Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d Subject: RE: PK361.EXE Message-ID: <3656@bsu-cs.UUCP> Date: 12 Aug 88 05:59:20 GMT Sender: ibmbin@bsu-cs.UUCP Reply-To: astieber@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Anthony J Stieber) Organization: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Lines: 53 To: comp-binaries-ibm-pc Return-Path: daemon@csd1.milw.wisc.edu In regards to the settlement: The agreement between SEA and PKWare implies that a file format can be copyrighted and that it is illegal for any unauthorized entity to make use of the file format either in reading or writing it. Of course those people who use the authorized programs may make use of them (esp. if they send in some dough). Now what if Lotus decided that the .WKS and .WK1 file formats were copyrighted (SEA copyrighted their stuff last year) and sued all companies that produced programs compatible with their formats. They would probably win (they have the money and the precendent via SEA vs PKWare). Next Word Perfect Corp. sues their competitors. Microsoft sues Borland and every other compiler publisher for infringing their .EXE file format (due to "justice" they would likely win the .COM suit as well despite it being a CP/M format). Then Microsoft sues the alternative operating systems houses (PC-MOS, Concurrent DOS, VM386, various UN*X/MS-DOS compatibility packages) for infringing the .EXE format AND the disk format. Next file transfer protocols are copyrighted (What is a file? A stream of bytes. What is a file transfer? A stream of bytes { Weeellll, not quite but what do the courts know by now?}) What if Apple copyrights the Macintosh file formats or worse patents them? For those of you not familiar with HFS/MFS there is a forked file with data in one fork and program resources (icons,dialogue boxes etc.) in the other. This could cripple the development of Window/Icon/Mouse/Pulldown menu (WIMP) systems. This concept of legally protected file formats (byte stream protocols) could make it easy for IBM to produce machines for which third party peripherals would nonexistant ( You want a keyboard that didn't come from Hell? Tough luck. IBM holds the patent on the keyboard serial line protocol) . Same thing applies to all other peripherals: external drives internal drives (hard disks, big bucks) modems mice monitors et cetera Super Human In Training internet astieber@csd4.milw.wisc.edu | PersoNet: Tony Stieber bitnet astieber%csd4.milw.wisc.edu@INTERBIT | BustedUpNet: 414-529-2663 uucp ihnp4!uwmcsd1!uwmcsd4!astieber | Terranet: 8858 Garden Lane csnet astieber%csd4.milw.wisc.edu@uwm.CSNET | Greendale WI 53129 Disclaimer/That claimer | Nancy Reagan on endoskeletons: Just Say Bone!