Xref: news2.mv.net comp.os.msdos.djgpp:5106
From: Tom Wheeley <tomw AT tsys DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Re: legal question
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 96 00:02:09 GMT
Organization: City Zen FM
Lines: 50
Message-ID: <835056129snz@tsys.demon.co.uk>
References: <01I60MPT9TO2000U7B AT cc DOT uab DOT es>
Reply-To: tomw AT tsys DOT demon DOT co DOT uk
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp

In article <01I60MPT9TO2000U7B AT cc DOT uab DOT es>
           ILGES AT cc DOT uab DOT es "x DOT pons AT cc DOT uab DOT es" writes:

> Dear programmers,
> 
> I'd like to register the name of a program I have written as well as the
> right to distribute it in the way I prefer. I suppose I need
> the "register" or the "trade mark" for the first goal and the "copyright"
> for the second. Nevertheless, I amb not sure, specially when I think that
> perhaps important differences are implied with "(R)" or "TM". For
> example, I have noticed that some "informatic-related" computer products
> use these different words:

For (R)egistered (and I think also TM) you actually have to register the
name with <mumble> (government? patent office?)

(c) is in fact meaningless, you must use `Copyright'.
Actually, most `works of art' (eg programs) are automatically protected under
the Berne Agreement, but it always helps to remind people. `All Rights
Reserved' is no longer required, afaik.  You must put the year with a copyright
message.

You could try:

foo-PRO v1.0.  (c) Copyright 1996 XP, All Rights Reserved.

Your right to distribute can be specified in a license.doc and can be anything
you want really.  AFAICS, you can only enforce it by suing, so if you intend
to do that I expect you should get a lawyer to write/check your license.

>    "(c) -> copyright"  (for example "(c) Microsoft corporation"),
>    "(R) -> Registered" (for example "Microsoft (R)" or "MS-DOS (R)"),
>    "TM  -> Trade mark" (for example "Windows TM"),
>    "patent" and "licence" -> other words I have seen somewhere.
> 
> Could someone tell me, please, which is the appropriate "word"
> or "words" I should use (and register, of course) and where can I
> find information about "where" to go to do it for all the world?

The Berne convention covers most of the world.  Additional protection is
harder to obtain: (R) etc, and I would recommend one of the more advanced
groups (the ones you didn't understand, right? :-), or perhaps someone here
will be more knowledgable than I (not difficult).

..splitbung
-- 
* TQ 1.0 * The 'Just So Quotes'.
If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don't need an enemy.
        -- Kurt Vonnegut