Re: Videx's 'Desktop Calendar' for Lisa available here...

From: Ray Arachelian <ray_at_email.domain.hidden>
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:14:58 -0400

chandra bajpai wrote:
> Honestly, you think Apple would actually care about Abandon-ware like
> LisaOS and Lisa 7/7 programs?
>

I wouldn't know, but I certainly wouldn't want to lose that bet despite the very low odds.

At the very best case, nothing would happen, one notch further, it would be a take down notice, at the very worst, it would mean severe damage to my finances, and it would also mean that LisaEm itself would be removed and all work on it would cease.

Far as I understand there's no legal acceptance of abandonware. Yes, there are abandonware sites out there, however these are all still technically in violation of copyright law - maybe nobody cares enough to send them cease and desist notices, but that doesn't change things. US copyright law is something ridiculous like 150+ years after the death of the author, however, in the case of corporation, well, Apple is still quite alive. :-) About the only that would have expired is the Lisa trademark and any patents from the Lisa such as the MMU.

> They've taken a blind eye to the Apple II world at least. It's of
> historical significance mostly.
>

I agree, but, I'm not willing to take that chance. Now if Apple sends me a piece of paper saying go ahead and distribute LOS and other Lisa software, that would change things.
Somehow I doubt they would.

If you remember the Apple I replica, the guy that created it got permission from Woz to distribute that ROM. I don't know about the other Apple II and III stuff.

I can tell you I've heard of Apple going after early copies of MacOS such as 1.0, for example. I don't think they sued anyone, but they were promptly removed by those sites and notices went up saying Apple told them to remove the files.

I don't know if they've told anyone to remove LOS or related materials, but certainly, the risk to me, and to LisaEm as a project, is too high to be acceptable. Received on 2010-03-21 11:14:59

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