[CLUE-Talk] More on SCO/Copyrights

[Jed S. Baer]

On 10 Aug 2003 12:38:44 -0600
"Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier" <jzb at dissociatedpress.net> wrote:

> From "Law for Business" -- "A person will not succeed in a copyright
> infringement lawsuit unless she proves two things. First, she must
> establish ownership of valid copyright. Second, she must show that the
> defendant copied constituent elements of her protected works. If these
> two steps are met, the copyright owner will succeed in her infringement
> suit if she proves that the defendant exercised any of the ownership
> rights in the previous paragraph." 

Actually, it might be even simpler than that. I don't have the legalese
handy, or even the link where I read this, but think of how copyright
would apply to printed, or other recorded material.

If someone purchases and reads a book|movie|audio recording which contains
copyright violations, the purchaser isn't the liable party. Yeah, IANAL
either, but against the end-user, I suspect even a case of contributory
infringement would be really difficult.

jed
-- 
... it is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday
facilitate a police state. -- Bruce Schneier