[CLUE-Talk] Copyright of SCO source code

[Charles Oriez]

At 09:20 PM 7/21/2003 -0600, Jeffery Cann wrote:

>On Monday 21 July 2003 19:06, Dennis J Perkins wrote:
> > If my understanding of copyright law is correct, copyrighting the source
> > code means that there is a copy at the copyright office.
>
>You don't have to file a copy to own a copyright.  Anything that you create
>origionally and put the (c) symbol on it with your name constitutes
>'copyrighting it'.  Folks will register a copyright to help them establish
>their true ownership.

you don't need the (c) to copyright.  Technically, this post is copyrighted 
by me as soon as I publish it.  Jeffery's post was copyrighted by him as 
soon as he posted it.  If however one of us wanted to litigate over it[1] 
we'd have to file the registration paperwork with the feds.  However, there 
is a presumptive permission to reuse relevant portions for purposes of 
commentary, which would fall under fair use.

The copyright office has a FAQ on it at their web site, or you can look it 
up in "Computer Law" by Maggs, Soma, and Sprowl, which I just happen to 
keep handy by my computer for times when I feel a need to pontificate[2].

[1]and I promise not to, unless you top post your reply AND fail to snip 
the irrelevant portions, in which case I'll sue your ass off on general 
principles, but this isn't a MSFT group so we don't need to worry about 
that eventuality.

[2]top of page 142, just in case someone really has a copy of Maggs.  Cite 
is 17 USC 410(c), but now I'm just showing off.  Soma taught my Computer 
Law course at DU.

Charles Oriez   coriez at oriez.org
**
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