phil@BRL.MIL (Phil Dykstra) (09/09/89)
I wish we could solve this Webster mystery once and for all. Below is part of a README file concerning a fairly "authentic" copy of the database. > November 25, 1987 > > This is Webster's 7th Collegiate Dictionary. It is Copyright (C) 1963 by > Merriam-Webster, Inc. The machine-readable version of this dictionary is > due to a government contract with System Development Corporation, who had > the dictionary transcribed via keypunch in the early 1970's. I received > my copy of the dictionary from SRI International, I don't know where they > got it. > > I have contacted Merriam-Webster about the status of this dictionary, and > have been asked by them to state the following: > > 1. This dictionary may be used for research purposes only. It > may not be made commercially available, and the data from the > dictionary may not be used in any publications without express > written consent of the publisher. > > 2. This dictionary may not be redistributed, as Webster is trying > to prevent the increased distribution of this information > (which was never intended for distribution in the first place). > > 3. This dictionary may not be made available over any wide-area > networks such as the ARPAnet. > > 4. This dictionary, and the software accompanying it, are most > definitely NOT in the public domain. There are a fair number of errors in the transcription, and the database is out of date, so I certainly understand their reluctance to have their name associated with it as in (1) above. I don't have any idea of the legal status of the claimed government transcription project above. Are points 2-4 enforceable or simply the wish of Merriam-Webster? If anyone knows any details/leads concerning the SDC contract I would appreciate hearing about it. If I could get my hands on a copy of that contract, I could ask our lawers to give "the Governments reading of the contract" and finally learn whether people could legally use this Webster data. We at BRL, a government site, once tried to contact Merriam-Webster to ask whether they would *sell* us an electronic copy of their dictionary. We were met with remarks like "we would never do anything like that!" I agree that the world would be a better place if we all had works like this available. I like Barry Shein's idea if we could only find a suitable starting point. Sorry to clutter xpert with Webster discussion. - Phil <phil@brl.mil> uunet!brl!phil FAX: (301) 278-5075