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Xref: sserve comp.unix.bsd:9012 misc.legal.computing:1886 misc.int-property:879 Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd,alt.suit.att-bsdi,misc.legal.computing,misc.int-property Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.hawaii.edu!ames!sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!news.funet.fi!funic!nntp.hut.fi!usenet From: jkp@cs.HUT.FI (Jyrki Kuoppala) Subject: Re: AT&T/USL CD-ROM Review Process In-Reply-To: terry@cs.weber.edu (A Wizard of Earth C) Message-ID: <1992Dec15.223317.158@nntp.hut.fi> Sender: usenet@nntp.hut.fi (Usenet pseudouser id) Nntp-Posting-Host: lusmu.cs.hut.fi Reply-To: jkp@cs.HUT.FI (Jyrki Kuoppala) Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland References: <1ge0aaINNm4d@neuro.usc.edu> <1992Dec13.165418.5021@sbcs.sunysb.edu> <1992Dec13.183240.23944@blaze.cs.jhu.edu> <1992Dec14.165913.6896@fcom.cc.utah.edu> Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 22:33:17 GMT Lines: 26 In article <1992Dec14.165913.6896@fcom.cc.utah.edu>, terry@cs (A Wizard of Earth C) writes: >Second, Linux is arguably more like SVR3 (and by extension SVR4) than >386BSD; this, I believe, puts it in more danger of censure. The thing >that has protected Linux so far is its international (non-US) origin. >This is not something USL has to worry about forever, it's simply an >inconvenience to prosecution, not a barrier. If a judgement were given >regarding copyright infringement by Linux against USL's materials, it >wouldn't matter that the judgement occurred in the US; Linus' government >would be forced by the Berne convention to uphold the judgement. Is this really so? I don't think so, but what do I know. First, I think Berne is much more limited than the current trend of the U.S. application of copyright laws to just about anything. Second, as Linux's country of origin is Finland I think it would be the Finnish laws that would apply, not U.S. >I think a company pressing a CDROM in the US would provide a convenient >(and less expensive for USL) target of prosecution for such infringment, >and thus perhaps provide a vehicle for establishing an anti-Linux >judgement. A CDROM publisher is a hell of a lot more likely to plead >_nolo_contendre_ (no contest) in return for limited damage claims. But how would this stop distribution of Linux? Perhaps in USA, but elsewhere? //Jyrki