Subject: Ethics o' Code-Liftin'

From: Allan Alford <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1993 05:58:31 -0800

I got a nifty idea!

Let's assume that in the ideal MOO world:
1) Everyone credits whoever they lift from.
2) Whoever leaves their code readable, but who does NOT want
   their code copied puts a comment in the code to the effect
   of: "check with me before heisting."

I don't know copyright laws for code, but i do know them for
writing and illustrating.

Essentially, if your work has been 'published' under your name (even if
you didn't get paid for it!), then you can sue for copyright violation
if someone else reprints it.  I don't know if the Net counts as
'published' (I'm sure it would hold up in court), but the fact is that
you can put a 'copyright 1993 by Jane Doe' in with the 'don't heist this'
message, and stand a fair chance of winning a suit.

I have a friend here in Austin who heads a small organization of budding
cartoonists.  Their newsletter essentially serves the purpose of getting
their work in print, so that they can file the original printings away.
If someone else wants to use the stuff later, they HAVE to get permission.

[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1993 14:09:45 -0800

> If someone else wants to use the stuff later, they HAVE to get permission.

So, let's make a printed newletter for "nifty code". Distribute it at cost
and poof we have copyrighted work. I think that will do rather nicely.
Now I've got to think of the vgrind definitions for Moo code so they 
look pretty in the newsletter. 

I suppose Pavel will want me to print up the core in the in first 
newsletter. :)

--JRP [Shirgall@a lot of places]

---

From: [email-masked] (Christopher C. Stacy)
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1993 15:49:05 -0800

How about if someone just recreates the functionality of a piece of code,
without lifting the actual source?  How do authors feel about protecting
the look-and-feel of their MOO code?

---

From: Nicholas LaFlamme <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1993 07:09:22 -0800

> the look-and-feel of their MOO code?

  When I steal code(And I have.  I've never considered it a big deal.), I
always tend to gut it and make it my own.  If nothing else, differant MOOS
have differant needs.  That's the Beauty of MOO.  The entire idea of look
and feel is ludicrous.  Ideas are not copyrightable.

					Nick