Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!olivea!decwrl!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!jrs
From: jrs@netcom.com (John Switzer)
Subject: Re: Infocom copyright information?
Message-ID: <jrsCIrJ4I.Fs8@netcom.com>
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
References: <1993Dec28.114208.25858@bsu-ucs> <2fq0k2$kas@Mercury.mcs.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1993 20:48:16 GMT
Lines: 46

In article <2fq0k2$kas@Mercury.mcs.com> jorn@MCS.COM (Jorn Barger) writes:
>In article <1993Dec28.114208.25858@bsu-ucs> on alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk
>and comp.admin.policy, <00hfstahlke@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu> wrote:
>>A copyright question has come up recently on our campus that I have
>>not been able to resolve.  A student would like to put the data files
>>for a set of games published and copyrighted by Infocom, Inc. on our
>>VAX Cluster.  He agrees that he will not have copies of these games on
>>any other machine and that he will provide a public domain interpreter
>>in place of the Infocom, Inc. interpreter.
>>
>>I understand the Infocom, Inc. is out of business and that the
>>copyright ownership may have passed to someone else.  It has also been
>>suggested to me that copyright provisions may have changed from the
>>original 1986 and 1988 statements.
>>   
>>I have done an archie search and found dozens of Internet sites
>>supporting similar Infocom installations, but before I permit this on
>>our system, I would like to know how other administrators have handled
>>it.  I'm particularly interested in insights into the following
>>questions:                                                           
>>
>>*  What are the current copyright provisions? 
>>*  Who owns the copyright?
>>*  What is the legality of using the data files on a time-sharing system? 
>>
>>Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.
>>
>>Herb Stahlke
>>
>>============================================================================ 
>>Herbert F. W. Stahlke, Ph.D., Associate Director   (317) 285-1843            
>>Consulting and Planning Services                   (317) 285-1797 (fax)    
>>University Computing Services                      00hfstahlke@bsuvc.bsu.edu 
>>Ball State University, Muncie, IN  47306           hstahlke@bsu.edu
>
>...anyone?

Since these games are still being sold in the Lost Treasures series, 
a prudent soul would conclude that the copyrights are still in force, 
although now owned by Activision (or whoever their parent is now). Whether
Activision would enforce these copyrights, though, is unknown.
-- 
John Switzer               | "A government that abrogates any of the Bill of
                           |  Rights . . . forever acts illegitimately, becomes
Internet: jrs@netcom.com   |  tyrannical, and loses the moral right to govern."
CompuServe: 74076,1250     |  -- Jeffrey R. Snyder, "A Nation of Cowards"
