From: "Damian Yerrick" Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp Subject: Re: GNU, Copyrights and related stuff Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 23:42:38 -0500 Organization: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Lines: 50 Message-ID: <7outk6$c8d$1@solomon.cs.rose-hulman.edu> References: <19990811073153 DOT 12519 DOT rocketmail AT web1006 DOT mail DOT yahoo DOT com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 137.112.109.21 X-Trace: solomon.cs.rose-hulman.edu 934476230 12557 137.112.109.21 (12 Aug 1999 16:43:50 GMT) X-Complaints-To: news AT cs DOT rose-hulman DOT edu NNTP-Posting-Date: 12 Aug 1999 16:43:50 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com Prashant TR wrote in message news:19990811073153 DOT 12519 DOT rocketmail AT web1006 DOT mail DOT yahoo DOT com... > > I've written a few software, some of which I would like to distribute > under the GNU GPL; the others would be freeware, but without sources. > The issues that I have are: > > 1> Is it necessary that I get a legal copyright in my name before I > distribute the software under the GPL ? > 2> What are the procedures I should follow to get a copyright for the > other sources ? Unofficial Copyright FAQ by Damian Yerrick I'm not a lawyer, so don't take my word for it (lawyers, this is _not_ to be considered legal advice), but this is how I _think_ it works in the United States as of August 12, 1999: To get a copyright, simply create an original, copyrightable work. Under current U.S. law, your work is protected until 70 years after you die (if it's freelance) or 95 years after your company publishes it (if it's a work for hire). It's best to include a notice in your program's splash screen; use the notice at the bottom of this post. If your font does not include c in a circle, use Copr. not (c). To improve your chances of winning a lawsuit, register your copyright with the Library of Congress within 3 months after you publish. Simply send the first 25 pages of source code, the last 25 pages of source code, a completed form TX, and thirty U.S. dollars ($30) to the Copyright Office; they'll send you a certificate of registration you can flaunt in court. To protect your graphics and sounds, copyright your product as an audiovisual work. Go to http://lcweb.loc.gov for more information. Copyright does not protect the style of play of a game, only the program and audiovisual material. That's why so many clones of Tetris exist. I hope this helps. Copr. 1999 Damian Yerrick; all rights reserved. This document comes with NO WARRANTY, but you are free to distribute it under the GNU General Public License. Visit my home page: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~yerricde Tetris is a registered trademark of The Tetris Company LLC. http://www.tetris.com