"Abandonware" and copyright [was Re: WinWorld]

[Paul Koning]

> On Mar 30, 2016, at 7:44 PM, drlegendre . <drlegendre at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> It cannot be overemphasized, that this is one of those situations wherein
> it seriously behooves the enthusiast community to sort this one out on our
> own, before some heavy-handed lawyer types - with big dollar signs in their
> eyes - sorts all of it for us.. because we all know how that would most
> likely go. Hint: Not to _anyone's_ advantage.

Thank you.  That was precisely my point.  And this is why we need to be harsh about people who fling around those fake terms and misleading notions.

> ...
> Ultimately, though, there must be a reasonable way to deal with all of this
> - and in a way that preserves both the rights of copyright holders /
> authors - while offering essentially free and open access to this large
> catalog of nostalgic and classic titles.

Indeed.  But I think it is pointless to expect a single answer, because circumstances vary.  The only way a single answer could be reached is by laws (and even then it's only at best a single answer in any one country).  But obviously it is not likely that if laws were passed on this subject that we would like the result.

> I have a few ideas of my own.. but for now, I'd like to hear other members
> thoughts on the matter. Ultimately, it might necessarily involve bringing
> the rights holders and/or publishers over on to "our side".

Yes, that's precisely correct.  And doing so requires treating each individually as the rightful owner of something we're interested in, and treating that owner with respect rather than dismissal.  Fred made that point quite clear also.

	paul