From: Daniel Cohen (D.E.Cohen_at_qmul.ac.uk)
Date: Sat Nov 17 2001 - 12:37:27 EST
At 2:08 AM -0800 17/11/01, Benjamin Koh wrote:
>I'd like to point out that unless the drive came with a license (and
>certificate of authenticity) for MS Office, that installation is not
>legal and you are not allowed to use it. Just so you know where you
>stand with respect to copyright laws.
This is strictly speaking true. But if the seller has indicated that he or
she has transferred all rights to the software and no longer has a copy on
their computer, I think one is *morally* entitled to use the software.
Afterall, it's easy enough to lose the certificate and maybe to delete the
licence while clearing away unnecessary stuff. It's not the same as using
software that someone else is still using as well.
When I do sell softeware I make a point of including a letter to say that I
have not kept any copies of it and am transferring all my rights.
What I have never worked out is the legality and morality of selling an old
version of software when I have upgraded. Often enough, what one gets is
the new version of the software (not a pack that upgrades the old to the
new), and the offer is worded in such a way that it is not clear if this is
to be regarded as "an upgrade" (when one shouldn't get rid of the old
software) or "a special offer for existing users" in which case there seems
to be no reason for keeping the old software.
Daniel Cohen
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