Is Amiga Inc's claim to AOS valid?

[Franko]

So I rang up Gateway (Acer) and asked them what they thought about me (on franko's behalf) having a right to on sell Amiga OS and kickstart, and they said "what's a meega?"

I can't ring up Amiga Inc as they are no longer incorporated and they don't have a phone number.

So I reckon it's either Nicholas or Franko who own it now.

Not sure if you're having a laugh here but did you really call Gateway/Acer... :confused:

I'd be more than happy to openly make free (again) Kickstart ROM images and Workbench Disk Sets for everyone to download on my sites instead of having them hidden away (where they are just now) for only those in know to find...

As I've said before when they were available for the world to see I never got one complaint form anyone claiming to own them and asking me to stop it or face legal action...

The only complaints I got were from the moaning minny copyright mafia on here who don't own any of it demanding the link to my site be removed and I should be banned...

I'd be very interested in calling Gateway myself if that's the reply you got and then being able to decide if I should plaster my homepage with nothing but Free downloads of KickStart & Workbench Disk Sets so that everyone can have access to them...

As I keep saying it's way past time all this was settled one way or the other and to me the only way that's going to happen is to force whomever can genuinely prove ownership to come forward and demand/threaten that any sites doing so will face legal action which I am more then willing to challenge in a court of law...

[Franko]

It would be an interesting test to see if Hyperion will live up to their AI agreement or not.

I reckon it's worth a go if it will help solve all this confusion once and for all. As it's obvious no one is ever going to tell the truth in this matter until a legal challenge is made in a court...

At least then one way or the other the truth behind who can genuinely lay claim to what would finally be know and perhaps all of us Amiga fans can finally move forward...

[Franko]

It's never a good idea to associate with piracy in such a public place. By saying there can be no links from amiga.org to copyright works that are being distributed without permission then it saves any hassle.
 
You're right, it's easy to get kickstart and workbench disk images on the internet. Which makes it look like you only want to cause controversy, when really what you're doing is irrelevant.
 
Why you'd even be bothered is beyond me.

That's the whole point though, is it piracy if whomever allegedly owns the stuff couldn't care less about these things being free to download on numerous sites on the web...

You've got it all wrong and don't understand my point behind all of this, it's not about causing controversy it about ending it and putting an end to all these years of rumour and speculation about who has the rights to what that has caused nothing but damage in the Amiga community...

Why I bother... simple having only ever used Commodore computers all my life then they hold a special meaning to me and I'm sick and tired of the BS that has dragged both the Commodore & Amiga names down all these years and has made us the laughing stock of the computer world... :madashell:

You may not care and that's fine but I do and when I care about something I fight all the way until I win or lose...

[Franko]

Oh, if that's the whole point then let me clear it up for you.

Yes, it is piracy.

That's your opinion and your entitled to it but I beg to differ on the matter...

So I'm afraid your "opinion" doesn't clear it up for me...

[Franko]

Why don't you ask Ben of Hyperion then?

Give me this "Bens" contact details and I'll gladly ask him, though I doubt from what I have read by others that he owns nothing more than licences to use certain trademarks and sell software under licence...

I really want to know who actually owns all the IP/TradeMarks/Copyright and has the power to issue licenses and rights to the likes of A.Inc & Hyperion and "They who shall remain nameless". That to me would be the guilty party behind all these years of BS and dragging the Amiga & Commodore names through the dirt...

[Franko]

Yes. You know that someone owns the copyright & that you don't have permission to distribute it.
 
What you're basically asking is "is it illegal, if you get away with it?"

Erm... wrong again I don't know for a fact that someone owns the copyright as no-one has so far given conclusive proof that they do...

And not I'm not asking if it's illegal if you get away with it either...

If you know for a fact who own the the copyrights etc.. post the proof here for all to see...

[Franko]

I see, so if I show someone where you hide the key to the back door of your house, then I have done nothing wrong, when that person robs your DVD player and poops on your kitchen table

In legal terms no there is no law forbidding you to point out to someone where something is, morally... well that depends on the individuals morals...

Anyway if your daft enough to leave a key for your house "hidden" outside then it would be you're own stupid fault if you got burgled and pooped on...

[Franko]

So what if instead of showing the man where the key was hidden, I took it myself, made a copy and then gave the man a copy of your key?

Then you would be guilty of theft for nicking the key in the first place and most likely aiding and abetting by supplying the tea leaf with the copy of the key...

How about if you gave me your key so I could help you do some work in your house... I then made a copy of that key and gave it to Mr poopie robber, then returned your key back to you?

You think I'd trust some old ex-rock star with me key, let alone let him do some work in me house... no chance matey...

It's not the burglar I'd be worried about, it would be coming home to find the place trashed after one of your wild sex, drugs & rock n roll (and Socks) parties I'd be scared about... :eek:

[Franko]

I'd be all for whomever owns the right to the Workbench disk sets to do the any of the following...

A) Sell them online in ADF format at a reasonable price for folk to downdload easily

B) As above but also the option to buy them on floppy (as floppy disks don't last forever)

C) Issue rights/licencences to folk who would be willing to do the above from their own site but only be allowed to charge a reasonable price to cover production costs/P&P

D) Or simply place them in the Public Domain and end all this crap once and for all

And don't chime in with "but you can get them already on Amiga Forever" that's fine if you want to buy Amiga Forever but what about folk who simply want to get hold of the ROM Image Files or WorkBench Disk Sets by themselves...

I know it wouldn't be a money spinner (not by a long shot) for whomever owns them but it would be more of a Public Service to the Amiga Community  who still support these great machines despite the years of crap we've had to put up with by these companies who couldn't give a shit about us anymore cos we're no longer a big money maker for them...

[Franko]

Joining this debate late, but here goes .....
First let me say I agree with Franko, who's point (I think) is "who REALLY owns the copyrights/IPs, etc. & not who THINKS they own them." Like he says, we'll never know until it's tested properly.

Bingo... At last someone actually gets what I'm talking about here...

Good now I can find something else to moan about....

(Now where's them threads on "they who shall not be mentioned" or AROS or MorphOS or The Price Of Cheese In Afghanistan...)