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Path: sserve!manuel!munnari.oz.au!mips!decwrl!decwrl!world!ksr!jfw From: jfw@ksr.com (John F. Woods) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd Subject: Re: AT&T vs. BSDI --> 4.3BSD-NET2 distribution requires AT&T license!!! Message-ID: <14809@ksr.com> Date: 14 Aug 92 14:01:52 EDT References: <166cciINNr2o@agate.berkeley.edu> <l8hhhkINN695@appserv.Eng.Sun.COM> Sender: news@ksr.com Lines: 22 lm@slovax.Eng.Sun.COM (Larry McVoy) writes: >I don't mind the copyrights as long as they don't get in my face. How about >one of these: > 1) #include <sys/copyright.h> > 2) Put the @%$! copyright at the *bottom* of the file instead > of the top. Surely the lawyers can't tell the difference, > right? The problem is that the law basically *requires* that the copyright get in your face. The first is not a copyright message at all (which would reduce the damages collectible in a lawsuit [I think; I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on USENET], but does not (under current US Berne-compatible law) invalidate the copyright); the second, essentially being hidden, could enable a defendant to claim they did not know the copyright status because it was deliberately concealed. If full-page copyrights on the first screen bother you, write an EMACS macro to skip over them to the second page. It isn't that hard, especially if you only worry about a few stereotypical ones. You'll notice that books have the copyright notice up front, but no one holds a gun to your head to force you to read it.