On Tuesday 22 November 2005 14:09, Carlos E. R. wrote:
There are precedents: the copyrights do expire, classical music, for instance.
Sorry, I still don't think this applies to source code! You cannot pry source code from a programmer's hand(assuming they own it) in the name of public domain! I don't care how old it is. If it's locked up somewhere, it's private property. Music is a completely different beast - it's not "compiled" - if it's played once in public...then it's out there - anyone with a good ear can copy it. The copyright is designed to protect creative ability and does indeed expire. Again, I'm not counting special cases like national security, etc...we're talking about the right for me to claim that because "wordwrite" was written in 1980, I'm somehow entitled to get the source code. It just doesn't fly, IMHO. I think where this might become more relevant is if someone, out of need, reverse-engineers the format and embeds it in their software, and the original coders decide to sue, despite "wordwrite" having been mothballed years ago. That seems like a more likely exercise of this issue. Cheers, J.C. -- John Coldrick www.axyzfx.com Axyz Animation 416-504-0425 425 Adelaide St W Toronto, ON Canada jc@axyzfx.com M5V 1S4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- People who are funny and smart and return phone calls get much better press than people who are just funny and smart. -- Howard Simons, "The Washington Post"