From: 76703.401@CompuServe.COM (Neil Shapiro)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: Neil, would you please comment on this?
Date: 6 Apr 1992 17:42:39 -0500
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


	[ NOTE: I had been in touch with Neil Shapiro about this, and
		post his response by request.  He didn't know that he
		can post himself by sending email to:
			 comp-sys-mac-system@cs.utexas.edu
								---Werner]

Hi Werner --

Thank you for the notes. As I do not have access to UseNet might I prevail
upon you to post the following notice to ALL there? Especially to pass the
reply along to the Apple people. Thanks! That reply is:


Hi --

I am the Chief Sysop of the MAUG(R) Forums on CompuServe and I would just like 
to clarify what was discussed about ftp.apple.com in /ftp/dts by me on that
service. I did not say, in context of the
complete conversation, that an Apple employee posted software on that area 
without approval from within Apple. What I did say was that people on other BBS 
and networks were redistributing software from that site and that this was done 
without approval from Apple. I believe that is very clear to anyone who has 
read those messages. In one message I make the point that as it is Apple's 
software if they want to place it anywhere it is theirs to do so.

However, I was being asked by many, many MAUG members to make such software 
immediately available because others were finding it all over Mac Creation. 
Some had downloaded it from private BBS systems. At least two  commercial 
networks were also making it available. It appears these places found it on 
ftp.apple.com.

But networks and BBS systems are all signatory to Apple's Electronic Licensing 
Agreement. Put simply, none of us are supposed to upload to our network areas 
ANY Apple-copyrighted software unless and until either the software itself or 
permissions arrive in the US Mail from that one department within Apple. No 
other route is acceptable under that Agreement, certainly not just finding it 
on ftp.apple.com.

My comments on CIS were to ask people to please be patient as I "played by the 
rules." I felt, and explained, that any BBS or network that had such software 
and did not have an Agreement (regardless of if they downloaded it from 
ftp.apple.com) was in violation of Copyright. And, if they had such an 
Agreement was not only in violation of Copyright but of the Agreement too and, 
in my opinion, playing the game with loose ethics.

It is REAL IMPORTANT that all networks and BBS systems play by the rules as 
put forth in the Electronic Licensing Agreement. Why? Because to do otherwise 
would risk having Apple Computer Inc. pull back from distributing their 
software electronically. So many people depend on this -- not only to receive 
the software originally but for the archival value of knowing the software is 
there to be accessed when needed. 

We, as an electronic community -- whether MAUG is our homebase, GEnie, AOL,
or wherever -- cannot afford to lose the immense privilege that Apple has 
granted us vis-avis electronic distribution of their copyrighted software. With 
this great privilege has come only a modicum of responsibility -- an Agreement 
which is not difficult to interpret or to follow. 

Kudos to Apple Computer for caring more about their customers then any other 
computer company! We owe them our respect and allegiance to such Agreements.

-- Neil Shapiro
   Chief Sysop [MAUG(R) on CompuServe]