rms@mit-prep (06/10/85)
From: Richard M. Stallman <rms@mit-prep> Nobody has any reason to be afraid to use or distribute GNU Emacs. It is well known that I do not believe any software is anyone's property. However, for the GNU project, I decided it was necessary to obey the law. I have refused to look at code I did not have permission to distribute. About 5% of GNU Emacs is close to (though quite a bit changed from) an old version of Gosling Emacs. I am distributing it for Fen Labalme, who received permission from Gosling to distribute it. It is therefore legal for me to do so. To be scrupulously legal, I put statements at the front of the files concerned, describing this situation. I don't see anything I should warn people about--except that Zimmerman is going to try to browbeat them.