Distribution Licence For Workbench...

[Boudicca]

Oh FFS.....

Do we really have to bang our Amiga heads against the wall of stupidity every time we raise this totally anal subject.

Something isn't illegal until the "Judgment" says it is. Someone may express a legal opinion, fair comment but pass judgment on or threats to report anyone for any given activity as being "Illegal" is utter b*llocks!. The Police won't even turn up to give it case number. No arrests, No summons, No legal threats (Unless the case can generate cash!)

There is no spoon !

But........and this where "Reasonable" attempts is entirely subjective. I would consider someone trying to contact me as reasonable in reverse would be, "In writing" and if it was a legal matter (in this case I believe it would be), a solicitors letter/writ or legal statement of intent, marked/dated and stamped by a solicitor.

If I was wanting to "Reserve my Rights" I wouldn't just answer an email or answer the phone on such things.

My tuppence worth. !

[Franko]

But........and this where "Reasonable" attempts is entirely subjective. I would consider someone trying to contact me as reasonable in reverse would be, "In writing" and if it was a legal matter (in this case I believe it would be), a solicitors letter/writ or legal statement of intent, marked/dated and stamped by a solicitor.

If I was wanting to "Reserve my Rights" I wouldn't just answer an email or answer the phone on such things.

My tuppence worth. !

One of the reasons why I finally had to get onto the net in the first place last year, is simply because in this day and age it has become impossible in some cases to get in contact with a company unless it is done over the net... :furious:

I like you, much prefer to do things the old fashioned way in writing but how do you get the details and address of the person or company you want to write to, when most do not publish a physical address or phone number these days...

You first have to try and contact them via the net just to get hold of these details and in a lot of cases that, like here for me has proven fruitless. It's one of the most annoying things these days and it's not just the business world it's also started to creep into government departments, no net... no access...

So it's not (even though I'd prefer it that way) as simple as just saying write to them...

[LordSpunky]

For what it is worth:
To the haters - this process has taken time.....

1) Franko has not just contacted the company's in the last couple of days, and had no reply but has been on going over a couple of months (as I understand it).

2) KS & WK 1.x - 3.1 are old, make no money for whoever owns it, and is required by most of us to run our retro systems. As previously stated other company's (Atari, Apple etc) have made them PD or simply don't care!

3) Amiga Forever is great! I've bought it, I have it, I can 'legally' state I own AmigaOS.

4) From 1980's - 1990's, I also bought AOS 1.3 / 2.x / 3.0 / 3.1 and still have the floppy discs, and many more that came with my systems - most are corrupt now. I LEGALLY bought the software, the MEDIA, the CONTENT, which is now unreadable. What company do I go back to, to get another copy???

5) Another reason for all of this is to challenge the Amiga OS IP holder! If they care (and part of us wishes they do) then the REAL owner of the AOS IP will have to standup and tell Franko off......and therefore we will know who they are........

6) Then we can try and once and for all get AOS into the public domain.....

7) If it was done correctly it could help our cause, for example, if Amiga Inc allowed OS 1.x - 3.1 to download on their website they could see how many people download it, therefore they could ascertain how much interest there was!

Now am I right, or am I right (for once!)

[motrucker]

@LordSpunky
     I seriously doubt it...

@Franko
       I hope this all works out for you (us). I would offer more support, but I rarely stop in here these days.

[Kesa]

I know that and anyone with eyes knows that, I have nothing against Amiga Forever I just want folk to be able to easily download for FREE the Amiga Workbench Disk Sets when they need them...

Franko, i think you might have more success if didn't try to get them for free but a discount. Maybe 99P? The difference being that you are more likely to get what you want if there was consideration. The amount of consideration is irrelevant just as long as there is something being exchanged by both parties. In a legal sense consideration is essential for a contact to exist. Just remember in this world you get nothing for free

Just my 2 cents

[TheDaddy]

Franko...for PRESIDENT!

[commodorejohn]

Franko, i think you might have more success if didn't try to get them for free but a discount.

Kind of irrelevant when you can't even make contact with them...

[pwermonger]

Actually, to secure your rights you don't have to answer any requests from anyone. Nor do you have to actively sell your product. Once it was ever published, performed and/or actively sold (and preferably if it was registered with the Copyright office) it is copyrighted. The only thing you have to do to maintain that right until it expires is to protect it when the issue of infringement comes up.

No this is not opinion, this is straight from the Copyright offices website.

Seems the original posters main issue is whether or not Amiga.org will remove links to his site when he puts up the disks for download. If he feels he has the right to post them because he wasn't contacted to secure rights, then they have the right to remove the links if they feel they don't want to link to a site they feel has unlicensed software.

Will any of it effect my day? nope. Either way I'll drink a toast. Good luck to you all.

[LordSpunky]

@LordSpunky
     I seriously doubt it...

What is it you doubt?

[trekiej]

Franko Franko Franko  (repeat)

[Rob]

In short, when seeking rights to distribute, the lack of a response does not equate to an affirmative response.

Take note Franko.  Barry Altman used the same excuses when he plagiarised fan art for his website.

[Franko]

Well as time goes on I'm more than convinced that all Workbench Disk sets from 1.3 to 3.1 will be availble for free download from my site by this weekend...

As so far there has been no response from either the admins or mods in answer to my first post about removing the link to my site in my signature again, as yet...

It was removed by RedRumloa before and I was issued with an infraction after Gazgod complained about it when I had my downloads section open to everyone and he didn't like the fact that I had in there for download the Workbench Disk Sets...

So therefore this time I wanted to state clearly my purpose and ask the site admins & mods not to remove the link again and issue me with infractions (or ban me) on the grounds that some folk may complain and accuse me of piracy (which I would like to add if they do so they had better be willing to back up that claim in a legal action) as I have said on numerous occasion these piracy claims are based on "opinions" and not facts...

I fail to understand what the motivation is behind these folk, whom apart from making these false accusations based on their flawed interpretation of copyright laws mainly seem to be wanting to do nothing more than deprive the rest of us easy access to this old software. My experience so far in this has proven that if any copyright holders do still exist they obviously don't care about the distribution of this software, so why do the copyright mafia make such a big song and dance about it... :confused:

It remind me of little children in a school playground where you always had one who said  "oooh... you swore and said a bad word, I'm telling on you", fine for little kids but these folk are supposed to be mature adults but just can't resist being a clipe (that's a Scottish word for someone who tells on someone") and for what purpose, to keep locked away forever this software from us just out of sheer spite, malice or some high lofty morals they want to impose on everyone else...

Sad that such folk hang around these sites and spoil things in the Amiga community but as I say they don't own the stuff they can't prove who does (if anyone) and at the end of the day what they have to say simply doesn't matter as they don't own the stuff. So it's obvious to me that they are just trying to cause bother for me or get me banned from this site...

[Franko]

Take note Franko.  Barry Altman used the same excuses when he plagiarised fan art for his website.

Yes.. and as much as I dislike the man I have to admit that at the end if the day it led him to finally getting permission to use them and they are still on his site today with the authors signature reinstated...

[Lando]

At the end of the day for those of us who still live in the real world where common sense still prevails then at least for anyone needing them they will know where to find them easily.

Anyone capable of typing 'workbench31.zip' into Google has been able to download Workbench whenever they needed to for as long as I can remember anyway, I don't see the need for this debate.

[Franko]

Anyone capable of typing 'workbench31.zip' into Google has been able to download Workbench whenever they needed to for as long as I can remember anyway, I don't see the need for this debate.

If it were that simple for everyone then why are there posts on this site and others by folk asking where they can download Workbench disks...

Also why would they look for them in ZIP format when LHA & to a lesser extent LZX are the preferred choice for archiving Amiga stuff...

[BooBoo1200]

Because they dont know how to use google?