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From: Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> (Jerry Stuckle)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Abandonware should fall back into the public domain
Date: Sun, 03 Dec 2017 19:48:52 +1200
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On 11/30/2017 10:18 PM, Richard Damon wrote:
> On 11/30/17 9:27 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
>> As the years go by and more and more previously commercial (and even
>> open source) software makes the move into abandonware, where the original
>> copyright and/or patent holder is no longer maintaining or developing the
>> software ... my view is it should move into the area of the public
>> domain,
>> legally protected for any use at that point, with all restrictions on use
>> rights completely removed, allowing binary deconstruction, reverse
>> engineering, machine code extraction, essentially use for any purpose.
>>
>> It makes no sense that abandonware should not receive a legal standing,
>> such that any person or company who approaches it for use is actually
>> protected under the law.â  They should have that protection.â  The use of
>> that pre-existing tool should be at their disposal when the entity who
>> originally held rights to it walks away.
>>
>
> One problem is that the author of the program may not have the right to
> give you those abilities. Say for instance you buy program X from
> company Y, under licensing rules Z (including perhaps an exchange of
> money). What you might not know is that company Y in producing program
> X, included software package A from company B, under rules C, which are
> reflected in some of the rules Z.
>
> The fact that company Y has abandoned X, in no way relieves them from
> rules C, which they passed on to you.

That's why IBM never released the code for OS/2 when they abandoned it. Some of
 the code was written (and owned) by Microsoft, and IBM couldn't release it.

A shame.  A great OS by a company who never could market to consumers.

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address Jerry Stuckle
jstucklex@attglobal.net
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