Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!WHEATIES.AI.MIT.EDU!rms From: rms@WHEATIES.AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman) Newsgroups: gnu.emacs Subject: ./etc/APPLE. No Free Software for Mac users. Message-ID: <8809231927.AA00737@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu> Date: 23 Sep 88 19:27:45 GMT References: <10152@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> Sender: daemon@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu Distribution: gnu Organization: GNUs Not Usenet Lines: 34 Ownership of rights to software is a great deal more tenuous at present than ownership of rights to hardware designs, and Apple is taking steps in this lawsuit thing to establish just what the limits of its rights to its own software are. A neutral businessman might well want to "establish what the limits are". But when applied to Apple, this is the half-truth that is as bad as a complete falsehood. You might as well say that Hitler attacked Poland for the innocent goal of "establishing what the boundaries of Germany would be", or that Meese just wanted to "establish the limits of where the government can restrict speech". What Apple is trying to do is define new kinds of "ownership" of the activities of other people--to gain a new sort of permanent monopoly never before allowed. If they succeed, we will lose the freedom to develop systems such as GNU. The courts may save us, but we mustn't leave this up to chance. This is why we are working on an amicus brief. Regardless of what the court says, a boycott can make a difference. Given any particular chance of winning, a company will be less likely to sue if they know this would create ill will among the public. I hope everyone who values GNU software will fight to preserve our right to produce it. Furthermore, if I buy any manufacturer's computer, I am pretty sure I am feeding lawyers! In other words, all companies are equally bullies? I don't think this is so. Not all companies agree with Apple, and only a few are actively attacking us as Apple is doing.