disk equals license

From: John Higginbotham <higginbo_at_netpath.net>
Date: Thu Feb 12 21:37:32 1998

Technically, everyone is wrong. Now, if he gave you the disks/manuals/etc.
and did the upgrade, he'd be wrong. If you didn't upgrade, you'd be in the
clear. You were a pirate before, a pirate now, and will always be a pirate
if you keep the upgrade installed and use it.

I guess that leaves only one thing to say: Arrgh! Join the crew, matey! :P

But if you got the disks from an entirely anonymous source, you wouldn't
know the history behind the software, and you could use the software with a
slightly less guilty conscience if you were so inclined. Everything is
relative, no two cases are the same, and some leeway needs to be taken into
consideration where software "piracy" is concerned. I think there's a
pretty big grey area there, IMHO.

At 09:06 PM 2/12/98 -0600, you wrote:
 
>Here's a question... Let's say my friend, who has a legal copy of xyz
>software, buys the upgrade version of xyz 2.0. He installs it, it checks
>for the previous version, and all is right with the world. He then gives
>me his old xyz 1.0 disks. I install it, purchase the upgrade, etc.
>
>Who (if anyone) is wrong?
>
>Now, let's say, we've both upgraded, and I give him back his original
>disks. Am I now a pirate? Was I a pirate before? Or was he the pirate
>before?

-John Higginbotham-
-limbo.netpath.net-
Received on Thu Feb 12 1998 - 21:37:32 GMT