Re: Call for lawyers: GPL Intelectual property protection

[Matthew Schlegel <nitehawk@1ststep.net>]

On Fri Oct 30 18:05:39 1998, Stephen J. Carpenter rambled into the ether:
> > Can anyone give any recommendations that may help me get a waiver to work on any
> > GPL license software (perhaps it could be constrained to GPL software not in 
> > competition to NT5 (group I will be in))? 
> 
> Well...considering Micro$oft's belief that EVERYTHING is part of
> the OS, they could consider anything as competing with NT.
> 
> hmm NetTrash 5...So...when we see it blue screen should we think of you?  :>
> 

Well... actually the only thing I'm going to be doing is monitoring a bug
mailing group (kinda like linux-kernel type thing) and forwarding bug reports
to the appropriate developers.  I will also be maintaining a database of bug
reports made to the list.

>
> > I don't particularly want to try to 
> > get them to waive rights to my mud src specifically as that would most likely 
> > draw unwanted attention to the mud server and end up resulting in them taking
> > it when they may not have otherwise thought about it.
> 
> If you can't get them to give you either a direct waiver fo rthe mud OR 
> a general waiver allowing to work on anything NOT related directly to the
> work you are doing...
> 
> then the only recourse you have really is to STOP work on
> it the MOMENT you START working for them and not TOUCH it at
> all during that time (hmm real ass covering: pgp sign a tar file
> of its directory tree and send it to someone else to hold)
> 
> Then you can prove you didn't work on it.

Thanks for the idea of sending a PGP signed version off to someone.  I'm going
to make a signed tar.gzip of my cvs repository (just the stuff for the mud)
and send it off to a couple people.  Also gives me a backup of my CVS tree
which is a good thing anyway :P

> 
> Hope its all worth it :) who knows...maybe teh section of NT5 you work on
> will actually end up having some level of quality to it...
> that would be a first :)
> 
> (I havn't seen quality M$ software since DOS)

I personally didn't find dos to be all that great either :P  NoTechnology was
pretty nice until I discovered a real OS (linux :)

> -Steve

Thanks for the help
	Matthew Schlegel