OT: Copyright Message #15 Posted by Howard Owen on 5 Sept 2011, 11:19 p.m., in response to message #13 by Martin Pinckney
Hmm, I see what you mean. There's no specific exclusion for TOS, but there is a section that I believe relates to it:
Quote:
You agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or by this forum. You also agree not to use this forum to request or trade copies of copyrighted material. For example, most ROMs are copyrighted. Therefore, it is OK to buy and sell original ROM chips or calculators containing original ROM chips but in most cases it is not OK to buy and sell copies of those ROMs or ROM image files..
I believe I remember the curator worrying about contributory infringement if he allowed links to copyrighted materials, ROMS in particular, at another site. Turns out he may be correct about that, given the Pirate Bay and others recently. (I'm sure we could have a long discussion over that, but let's not. :)
I do think HP could clear things up by simply cutting those ROMS loose, but notice that they have just retrieved one of those from the past and issued it as the HP-15C LE. I remember several years ago when Eric removed the Voyager ROMs from Nonpareil saying that HP had asked him to do so. Seeing the 15C come out now connects the dots for me on that one.
There are several 15C software clones out there and my guess is that many are using the original ROM. HP has never gone after any of them. They haven't tried to stop Victor from selling that laughably trashy hardware 12C clone either. They haven't moved legally against anyone distributing old ROMs, so far as I know. But they clearly demure from giving their old IP away wholesale. As long as that's the case, I can understand the curator's point of view.
Edited: 5 Sept 2011, 11:21 p.m.
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