lra@rduxb.UUCP (Lonnie R. Abelbeck, AT&T Bell Labs) (05/30/85)
[] Pirated VersaTerm Hits the Net I just saw a posting in "net.sources.mac" that is a blatant, illegal, pirated version of my Copyrighted Version 1.00 of VersaTerm. The poster was: --> From: newton@reed.UUCP (Physics Super User) --> Newsgroups: net.sources.mac --> Subject: Another Terminal Emulator --> Message-ID: <1574@reed.UUCP> --> Date: 29 May 85 06:29:10 GMT --> Date-Received: 29 May 85 15:02:26 GMT --> Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon The fraud claiming to have written the program is: --> R. E. Crandall --> 5445 SE 41 --> Portland, OR 97202 By editing the "About VersaTerm..." dialog (using FEdit and ResEdit I suppose) this person replaced my Copyright notice, my picture and my name with his name, Company (logo?) and a plea for $75 to be sent to his address. Everything else is MY VERSATERM!! Our (Peripherals C&S) lawyers have been informed and legal action will no doubt be brought against both Mr. Crandall and Reed College. If this fraud has posted this illegal program to other networks (CompuServe...) I would appreciate you honest netter's out there to pass this note on. I still can't believe it!!! Lonnie R. Abelbeck ihnp4!rduxb!lra
winkler@harvard.ARPA (Dan Winkler) (05/30/85)
> pirated version of my Copyrighted Version 1.00 of VersaTerm. The poster was: > --> From: newton@reed.UUCP (Physics Super User) > --> Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon > The fraud claiming to have written the program is: > --> R. E. Crandall > --> 5445 SE 41 > --> Portland, OR 97202 > this person replaced my Copyright notice, my picture and my name with > his name, Company (logo?) and a plea for $75 to be sent to his address. VersaTerm is a good program at a fair price which is supported well. Furthermore, Lonnie posted an early version of it in recognition of the support he had received from the net and has since been a frequent contributer of valuable technical information. Copy protection has proved completely ineffective against software piracy. A much better defense is to provide a good product with good documentation and support at a fair price, as Lonnie Abelbeck has. Let's take this pirated posting as an opportunity to show that we support products like VersaTerm and that they are consequently immune to piracy even if distributed illegally over the net. Let's make it clear to other software vendors that quality and fairness on their part is the best (and only) defense against piracy. I'll begin by reporting that on the Harvard Vax the pirated copy of VersaTerm, formerly /usr/spool/news/net/sources/mac/303, has been deleted. Dan. (winkler@harvard)
roy@nlm-vax.ARPA (Roy Standing) (05/31/85)
I, too, was amazed to find that the terminal emulator package posted to the net was Versaterm but with someone else's name and company identification. While I try to refrain from posting nontechnical messages, I think this is an appropriate exception. Such blatant piracy can not be tolerated. I have deleted the copy that came to me and I recommend that everyone else do the same. If it is possible to purge the posting from net.sources.mac, I recommend that be done also. I hope to be posting software we are developing soon. I intend to post sources. The purpose is to participate in the colleagial environment. Piracy can destroy the trust and respect that makes such environments possible.
pc@unisoft.UUCP (Paul Campbell) (06/03/85)
We have deleted it here too! How can we expect this net to work if it is abused like this! Paul Campbell ..!ucbvax!unisoft!paul
bbaker@cadsys.UUCP (William Baker) (06/06/85)
> I just saw a posting in "net.sources.mac" that is a blatant, illegal, > pirated version of my Copyrighted Version 1.00 of VersaTerm. The poster was: . . . > By editing the "About VersaTerm..." dialog (using FEdit and ResEdit I suppose) > this person replaced my Copyright notice, my picture and my name with > his name, Company (logo?) and a plea for $75 to be sent to his address. > Everything else is MY VERSATERM!! > > Our (Peripherals C&S) lawyers have been informed and legal action will no > doubt be brought against both Mr. Crandall and Reed College. > > If this fraud has posted this illegal program to other networks (CompuServe...) > I would appreciate you honest netter's out there to pass this note on. > > I still can't believe it!!! > > Lonnie R. Abelbeck > ihnp4!rduxb!lra Lonnie and other readers: I am surprised that Professor Crandall has not replied yet, but I suspect he either has and I have not seen the item yet, or else he is desperately trying to figure out what has happened. Let me state up front that I am 99% sure that *he* was not responsible for the posting of the perverted Versaterm. I just graduated from Reed and while I don't know Professor Crandall well, I know that he has no reason to pirate software. To wit, he is independently wealthy, so much so that it is a matter of record that he does not even accept a salary from the college. Also, his company (Metaresearch) makes GriffinTerm, GriffinText, and is developing the Rascal software package. THERE IS NO LOGICAL REASON FOR HIM TO PIRATE SOFTWARE! I also know that we Reedies are a warped lot and it would not surprise me to learn that someone had edited the Versaterm resources and posted the software under the Physics Super User's login. Professor Crandall is also known for his capacity to antagonize people and this could easily be the work of a vendetta-minded student. He also has a habit of leaving himself logged-in for days at a time and someone could have gotten at his account that way, or else just broken system security on the VAX. It has happened a number of times before at Reed. No doubt Professor Crandall is currently consulting with his lawyers and desperately trying to figure out what has happened. Even as I write I have gotten mail from a friend at Reed noting that someone has pulled a fast one on Richard. Let me say again, don't blame this on him or on Reed. It's a damned good school with a voluntary honor code that is respected and adhered to by the vast majority of students. Reed is also considered to be one of the most dynamic of the Apple consortium schools and Professor Crandall is one of the major forces behind Reed's Five Year Plan. It is extremely unlikely that he would do something so dumb. Bill Baker intelca!cadsys!bbaker