[comp.binaries.ibm.pc] MEAN18 - is pirated!

chris@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Chris Peck) (03/02/88)

Geez - I just checked out MEAN18 (parts 1-5) and it is  a PIRATED
copy of the game by Accolade - just great, eh?  I don't know about
you folks but I just removed them from our system.  The big question is
what do we do about this in the future?????

davidg@janus.uucp (David Gaertner) (03/03/88)

In article <878@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> (Chris Peck) writes:
>Geez - I just checked out MEAN18 (parts 1-5) and it is  a PIRATED
>copy of the game by Accolade - just great, eh?  I don't know about
>you folks but I just removed them from our system.  The big question is
>what do we do about this in the future?????

A MODERATOR would prevent illegal acts such as the posting of
copyrighted software!  Granted that the garbage factor is low in
comp.binaries.ibm.pc, there still should be a moderator to prevent
postings of things like VIRUSES and PIRATED programs.

Also, it should be made clear to people that they should at least skim
the licensing agreements that comes with the software they buy.  Might
prevent a lawsuit or a criminal action, such as distributing the
software.

And I feel that people who downloaded the program should pay the
publishers some amount of compensation (not necessarily the retail
price that nobody pays anyway), but something.

I wonder how badly that idiot who posted the game is going to be flamed
by Accolade's lawyers?

Replies to /dev/null or comp.sys.ibm.pc, not here.

    /              /		  	David Gaertner  
 __/ __. , __o  __/ 	...ucbvax!cory!davidg, davidg@cory.berkeley.edu
(_/_(_/|_\/ <__(_/_ I don't give spare change or go to friendly bible meetings. 
				

boneill@hawk.ulowell.edu (SoftXc Coordinator) (03/03/88)

In article <878@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> chris@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Chris Peck) writes:
>Geez - I just checked out MEAN18 (parts 1-5) and it is  a PIRATED
>copy of the game by Accolade - just great, eh?  I don't know about
>you folks but I just removed them from our system.  The big question is
>what do we do about this in the future?????

I'm glad someone checked this. When I first saw MEAN18 in the title, I
remembered that it was the name of Accolade's golf simulation. I wasn't able
to check it myself, due to the file systems being full here, but now that I
know, I DON'T WANT IT!!!! Now, about a moderator...

============================================================================
Brian O'Neill					University of Lowell
boneill@hawk.ulowell.edu - boneill@hawk.UUCP ...!ulowell!hawk!boneill
MS-DOS Software Exchange Coordinator - E-mail for details

foobar@koko.UUCP (John Fruetel) (03/03/88)

In article <878@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> chris@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Chris Peck) writes:
>Geez - I just checked out MEAN18 (parts 1-5) and it is  a PIRATED
>copy of the game by Accolade - just great, eh?  I don't know about
>you folks but I just removed them from our system.  The big question is
>what do we do about this in the future?????

Well, I think that Mr. Pete Schmitt had better post an explanation pretty
darned pronto!  This type of thing can bring down Usenet's reputation pretty
quick.

bcnu j fruetel

dab@whuts.UUCP (Batman) (03/03/88)

In article <878@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu>, chris@bingvaxu.UUCP writes:
> Geez - I just checked out MEAN18 (parts 1-5) and it is  a PIRATED
> copy of the game by Accolade - just great, eh?  I don't know about
> you folks but I just removed them from our system.  The big question is
> what do we do about this in the future?????

I realized this as a possibility, and I am going to double check it when
I un-arc it.  I already own the game so I have nointerest in keeping it.

However, there is a part of MEAN18 called ARCH  THis is a Course Architecture
program.  You can create your own courses and post THEM, but not the game 
itself.

I'm not sure what to do about the poster of the game.  He may not have realized
it was not PD, and innocently posted it.  Then again.....

THIS IS WHY COMP.BINARIES SHOULD BE MODERATED!!!!

davidsen@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP (William E. Davidsen Jr) (03/08/88)

In article <23198@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> davidg@janus.Berkeley.EDU (David Gaertner) writes:
| [...]
| A MODERATOR would prevent illegal acts such as the posting of
| copyrighted software!  Granted that the garbage factor is low in
| comp.binaries.ibm.pc, there still should be a moderator to prevent
| postings of things like VIRUSES and PIRATED programs.

Well...... a moderator could *attempt* to do so, but I would suspect
that if very many people want to make the moderator personally
responsible for the content of the group, there is going to be very
little in it.

Beyond testing that there is no obvious copyright notice, and that the
program doesn't obviously modify itself or anything else in the system,
I think the moderator is not responsible. In fact, the main reason for
having a moderator is to keep discussions out of the group.

Would someone influential **PLEASE** appoint Rahul Dhesi (or some
qualified person, even if not a personal friend of the net-gods) as
moderator and let's get this going. I think it's time for alt.pc-binary,
since the net is really messing this up.
-- 
	bill davidsen		(wedu@ge-crd.arpa)
  {uunet | philabs | seismo}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me

parker@epiwrl.EPI.COM (Alan Parker) (03/09/88)

This is the second time that I've noticed non-public domain software
posted to this group by someone from a DEC facility.   What gives with
them?