Richard writes: > IANAL, but ok. But what defines a 'legitimate owner'? No ownership > rights are generally transferred with a piece of software, right?
A copy under USA copyright law is a tangible object. When you buy a CD or other embodiment of a work you own that object and have all the rights of ownership. Ownership of a copy --a tangible object-- is entirely different from ownership of the right to make and distribute additional copies of an object embodying material protected by copyright. Copyright law does not limit your rights in that object. You own it. You do not own the right to make and distribute copies of that object. However, USA copyright law automatically grants you the right to make any transient or temporary copies that might be necessary in order to use it. You have the right to transfer ownership of the object to someone else, but if you do so you must, of course, destroy the aforementioned temporary copies. > ... and I understand that if there's no consideration paid, there's no > legal contract, right? "Contract"? If someone makes a gift of an object to you expecting no compensation, you still own it. -- John Hasler jhas...@newsguy.com Elmwood, WI USA
