A statement concerning the distribution situation of Amithlon

[Dr_Righteous]

(repost of my comment on ANN, this has been a fuzzy issue in my mind for some time now)

Woah woah woah, back this truck up... Exactly who is it that owns Amiga Technologies anyway? I was under the impression that Gateway still owned all the patents, and granted licenses to Amino Inc, who subsequently created Amiga Inc. to utilize those licenses. Please, feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.

Either way, WOW, this is NUTS!

[Dr_Righteous]

The OS isn't the issue here... The ROMs are. Escom AG owned, via US copyright, the Amiga Kickstart ROMs. What's in question here is whether Gateway or Amino Corp/Amiga Inc. owns that copyright.

If AI doesn't own the copyright, they can't make IP complaints. Gateway Inc. would have to do it.

[Dr_Righteous]

Patents and copyright are not the same thing. Gateway own all patents, but Amiga Inc have bough the IP, which includes copyright to the OS, assuming Gateway owned that in the first place.

Show me where it says AI bought anything from Gateway.

However, AI's ownership of Kickstart 3.1 rights is not in question. It seems that H&P and AI have simply been unable to reach an agreement. BOTH are guilty for allowing AmigaOS XL to be distributed without such an agreement being signed in the first place.

They are in question, because I question it. It's a pivotal point to AI's argument. There is nothing listed in the Library of Congress that says Amiga Inc. owns Kickstart. In fact, it says Escom AG owns it still.

[Dr_Righteous]

Ok, I got it figured out now... Seems the only person who knows anything about anything these days is Ben Hermans.

AI is under perpetual use license for the Amiga patents.

AI is the exclusive copyright holder to the AmigaOS.

Part of the OS is contained in the Kickstart ROMs.

Thus, AI owns the ROMs.

Which leads us right back to, WOW! THIS IS MESSED UP!

[Dr_Righteous]

My version of OS3.9 is from Amithlon/OSXL, and it comes up as Copyright 1985-2000 Amiga Inc.