From: mac@cis.ksu.edu (Myron A. Calhoun)
Newsgroups: rec.games.vectrex
Subject: Vectrex legal rights, etc.
Date: 14 Sep 1992 16:11:42 GMT
Organization: Kansas State University, Dept. of Computer Science
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: depot.cis.ksu.edu

>Myron A. Calhoun wrote:
>>I'll make everyone the same offer:  one nice readable photocopy of my
>>Vectrex Service Manual and some other documentation for your original....

jlavin@cie.uoregon.edu (Jeff Lavin) wrote:
>I'm not really sure I believed this when I saw it, so I read it again.

>It's bad enough that photocopies of the manual are being passed around,
>but since there is no other way to get any useful information, *and*
>since it is not taking bread out of the copyright holder's mouth, I suppose
>it can't be helped.  It is still technically wrong, tho.

>On the other paw, offering to sell these same illegally copied manuals for
>personal gain is reprehensible.  It is theft, pure and simple.

>If anyone in this group wants to flame me for this, I will just withdraw
>from this newsgroup permanently, and contribute no more goodies or
>opinions.

The above reminds me of a childhood song:
   "I don't want to play in your yard,
    I don't like you any more.
    You can't holler down my rain barrel,
    You can't slide down my cellar door.
    .... [two more lines I can't remember]
    I don't want to play in your yard,
    'Cause you've not been nice to me."

or something like that, typed without any permission at all from anyone,
copyright holder or otherwise (assuming there ever was one).

>If the author of the msg this is in reply to, decides to go ahead with this
>plan, I will contact the authorities, and there is a large organization
>that watches for just this sort of thing.

Are you thinking of NASCAP, the National Association of Songwriters,
Composers, And Publishers?  Well, maybe they might be interested,
since the Vectrex games do play a "tune" at the beginning!

>Getting donations to pay for copying costs incurred is one thing -- this
>is something completely different.

Well, since you brought the subject up in such a nice friendly way,   :-)
I talked with our University's ethics persons about the legal
situation when a bankrupt company quits supporting its "orphaned"
products.  After some thought, he said it should be very much like
finding a ship floating in the ocean without any crew aboard;
according to rules of the high seas for many hundreds of years, such
abandoned equipment has belonged to the finder/salvager.  In particular,
regarding the "It is theft, pure and simple." statement above, he said
that if no one claims ownership of an item, it is impossible to steal it!

But to give a positive note to this whole discussion, I have written
letters to General Consumer Electronics, Inc., of Santa Monica, CA,
(whose name is on the front of the Service Manual); to the Milton
Bradley Company, of East Longmeadow, MA (which owned General Consumer
Electronics); also to Hasbro Corporation of Pawtucket, RI (which owns
the Milton Bradley Company), and to Sears Corporation (which, at one
time, sold Vectrexes), requesting permission to
 (1) copy the Service Manual,
 (2) copy the various game-cartridge manuals,
 (3) copy the game cartridges themselves, and
 (4) to make NEW game cartridges.  (I hope I didn't overlook anything!)

I'll also accept suggestions (especially if made in a more-friendly
fashion than Jeff Lavin's diatribe!) for additional persons/companies/
addresses to contact.  And I'll to let you know what I learn (or don't
learn, as the case may be).

When someone throws you a lemon, make lemonade!
--Myron.
-- 
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