davidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr) (09/21/88)
Here is the official statement of policy about ARC and others use of
it. As read it it's completely fair and unrestrictive, permits free
individual use, allows use of their code to develop your own shareware,
which they will even distribute on their BBS. It prohibits using the ARC
trademark on products which are not 100% compatible in file format. They
do require payment of a 6.5% royaltee after the first $100k if you use
their code or trademark.
---------------- read it for yourself ----------------
System Enhancement Associates
Policy Statement on ARC Trademark and Copyrights
Many of our users have expressed concern regarding use of the
ARC trademark and copyrights. To better meet their needs we
have formulated this Statement of Policy, effective as of
September 13, 1988. This policy applies to anyone who does not
already have an agreement with us.
In the interest of serving the needs of the bulletin board
community and supporting the shareware concept, we pledge to:
o Maintain the ARC file format as a stable industry standard.
o Continue to upgrade ARC for speed and efficiency.
o Continue to distribute ARC as a shareware product, and
continue to allow for its free non-commercial use.
Futhermore, we pledge to foster the ingenuity and creativity of
our fellow shareware authors, whom we are happy to support in
virtually every manner.
ARC
To protect the rights of our shareware licensees, ARC may be
freely copied and distributed subject to the following
conditions:
1) No fee may be charged for such copying and distribution.
2) ARC may only be distributed in its original, unmodified
state.
3) ARC may not be distributed, in whole or in part, as part of
any commercial product or service without the express
written permission of SEA.
4) ARC may be made available for download by pay bulletin boards
and similar commercial services provided that no additional
fee is charged specifically for downloading ARC.
ARC TRADEMARK
Use of the ARC trademark may be licensed subject to the
following terms:
1) Any use of the ARC trademark means that the product is
SHAREWARE. We need a fully functional copy of the latest
version with documentation to make available on our BBS for
general download.
2) Your product must be compatible with the current version of
ARC from SEA, and must be of an acceptable level of quality
and workmanship.
3) We must have your name and address so that we can keep you
informed on any changes to ARC.
4) As the legal owner of the ARC trademark, we are bound by US
trademark laws to protect and maintain the integrity of ARC
in any program that uses the ARC trademark . To comply with
this, we must ask for fully commented source code. We will
keep your source code completely confidential if you so
desire, and we will not make use of any of your source code
in any of our products.
ARC SOURCE CODE
The ARC program sources have always been available for
informational purposes. They may be used freely in the creation
of shareware utilities that examine the contents of an ARC format
archive. Any other use of the ARC source code is subject to the
following terms and conditions:
1) Your product must be SHAREWARE. We need a fully functional
copy of the latest version with documentation to make
available on our BBS for general download.
2) The first $100,000 worth of revenues is yours to keep. We
want 6.5% of any revenue above that in return for the use
of our code.
3) For the protection of our users, your product may not produce
ARC format archives which are incompatiable with our current
version of ARC.
ARC FILE FORMAT
1) We hereby grant to the entire world and all sentient
creatures in the universe who do not already have an
agreement with us to the contrary a perpetutal, unlimited,
galaxy wide license to read, extract, create, or otherwise
manipulate ARC format archives. This does not include any
license to use our sources or trademarks.
2) If you make any changes to the format such that your file is
not compatible with the current version of ARC, then the
result may not be referred to as an ARC format Archive.
We feel that this Policy Statement is a fair and workable answer
to all concerned with ARC format archives, developers and users
alike. If any developer is unable to comply with these terms,
please contact us at (201) 473-5153 to discuss alternative
arrangements.
--
bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa)
{uunet | philabs}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -mew8sdz@smoke.ARPA (Keith B. Petersen ) (09/21/88)
In Bill Davison's posting, SEA writes:
"4) As the legal owner of the ARC trademark, we are bound by US
trademark laws to protect and maintain the integrity of ARC
in any program that uses the ARC trademark . To comply with
this, we must ask for fully commented source code."
--------------------------------------------
What author would be willing to give the competition fully commented
source code and in addition feel comfortable in believing:
"We will keep your source code completely confidential if you so
desire, and we will not make use of any of your source code
in any of our products."
None that I know.
--
Keith Petersen
Arpa: W8SDZ@SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL
Uucp: {att,decwrl,harvard,lll-crg,ucbvax,uw-beaver}!simtel20.army.mil!w8sdz
GEnie: W8SDZ