*BSD News Article 2496


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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Path: sserve!manuel!munnari.oz.au!uunet!kithrup!sef
From: sef@kithrup.COM (Sean Eric Fagan)
Subject: Re: AT&T sues BSDI
Organization: Kithrup Enterprises, Ltd.
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 21:12:16 GMT
Message-ID: <1992Jul25.211216.2615@kithrup.COM>
References: <1992Jul22.221515.23550@tfs.com> <1992Jul25.061414.3401@spcvxb.spc.edu> <102@ampr.ab.ca>
Lines: 28

In article <102@ampr.ab.ca> lyndon@ampr.ab.ca (Lyndon Nerenberg) writes:
>If their assertion is
>that BSD/386 is a derivative work based on System V, why are they not
>challenging this as a copyright violation?

Copyright, trade secret, and patents.  They just don't specify which one,
nor do they specify *what* has been used without license.

>As for the C vs. gcc argument, the feeling is that you cannot protect
>a programming language per se, although you can prevent someone from
>calling it 'C' if you properly protect the name 'C' as used in conjunction
>with that programming language. 

There are movements, both here (US) and abroad, to allow the patenting or
copyrighting of *languages*.  Ashton-Tate would have dearly loved that
ability.  Go ask in gnu.misc.discuss for more details.

>Witness what DOD has done to protect
>the name Ada. 

The DOD has dropped the trademark status of Ada.  Anyone can call anything
'Ada' now, I believe.

-- 
Sean Eric Fagan  | "My psychiatrist says I have a messiah
sef@kithrup.COM  |  complex.  But I forgive him."
-----------------+              -- Jim Carrey
Any opinions expressed are my own, and generally unpopular with others.