-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Bender <JIM@ezol.com>
To: Schaffer Andras <andrass@mail.matav.hu>
Cc: port-vax@netbsd.org <port-vax@netbsd.org>
Date: Saturday, 27 February 1999 6:18
Subject: Re: DM02 firmware and an idea of firmware repository...


>
>On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Schaffer Andras wrote:
>
>>

>> On other way.. i'm thinking on a web site with firmware repository for
VAX
>> machines and controllers, but i'm afraid of copyright issues. Is it
possible
>> to put (for example) a VaxStation 2000 rom image on the web, without
>> violating copyright ?
>
>Well, my take on the situation would be that if you own the card, you are
>entitled to the ROM code that runs on it.    And of course, since the
>ROM code is completely useless without the card, there can only be one
>possible use for it--  installing in the appropriate card/system.
>
>I don't see how this could be a problem.   I believe several
>companys still make the ROM code available for download on their
>website.  CMD leaps to mind as an outfit still doing this.
>
>Now, reverse engineering it and generating human readable listings
>of it would likely get some lawyers excited if it were distributed
>over the net.


What if it were on a web site in say, Russia?   Who they gonna sue?
I can think of lots of things of use to people in the old computer
collecting hobby that can't be posted in the US or lots of other places for
just this reason.  Provided it was stuff that was truly in the extinct realm
of course.  Just a passing thought.

  Lawyers seem to get excited over things that are almost archaeological in
context, perhaps there should be an expiry date on software copywrite that
is unchanged/extinct (in the commercial sense) after, say, 10 years?   The
US seems to have a plethora of rabid litigators.  I even got threatened with
legal action by a porn site owners solicitor/lawyer/whatever once.  I dobbed
his client in to his ISP for spamming.  I told him to go ahead, provided he
paid my plane fare, because I sure as hell wasn't.
I guess he missed the .au on the end of the email address.   Or he couldn't
read.  Or both.
Made my day.

Cheers
Computer Room Internet Cafe
Port Pirie
South Australia.
netcafe@pirie.mtx.net.au