rb@cci632.UUCP (Rex Ballard) (06/27/86)
There are a number of systems, and I believe kermit is one of them, which are protected under "public use" copyrights. The main problem here is that when something is put in public domain, the author gives up all rights, including the right to control "derivative works", which may not be public domain OR public use. GNU and the Free Software Foundation is an example of "public use" copyrighted material. In this case, you MUST be provided with the source, you CAN'T make proprietary changes, and you must include source to any enhancements you make. Ironicly, FSF does sell GNU products, but doesn't try to charge for "percieved value", or try to enforce restrictive liscence agreements. What they are charging for is the basic costs of distribution, with a small margin of profit. Per user, a GNU release is about $5/copy. Releases come out frequently, and there is no "hand holding", but the products released so far are very high quality. You ARE allowed to give copies to others, in fact, it's encouraged, but you MUST include the source. Some software is along the lines of Kermit. You can give it away, pass it around, and "throw it in" with other software packages (like the developers kit), but you can't SELL kermit by itself. Many people put copyright notices on their software and then permit free distribution. It is important to read the terms of the copyright and abide by them. If you want to improve and sell something which has a copyright notice attached, you should contact the author for terms before even starting. Even if you just want to improve it, contact the author. It is a good idea to include a copyright notice on anything you submit anywhere, not because you are greedy, but because you cannot prevent someone else from using your code for a commercial product. It is a good idea to include basic terms, followed by "all other rights reserved". Ironicly, copying something out of a magazine or a book that is copyrighted does not make that source "public domain", in fact, the material may be covered under several different copyrights (the magazine, the original author, the publisher). On the other hand, the royalties are often so low, that they are even practical for commercial use. See net.legal, read the copyright act of 1978, and "the rights of authors and artists" to see what the current story on copyrights is.