🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3458@crash.cts.com> haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) writes:
>ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) writes:
>>In article <3447@crash.cts.com> haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) writes:
>>>Also, having read the Working group proposal, what incentive do we have to
>>>join?  [ ... ]
>>>
>>	Fame, something to put on your resume, adoration from Amiga
>>developers everywhere.
>>
>>	I can't see Commodore being completely unappreciative of a valuable
>>contribution to their products, nor would I expect people to turn over such
>>projects to Commodore without some sort of renumeration.
>>
>
>        Sure, but from what I read in the Working Groups proposal, it was not
>clear that the participants in the project had any rights to the resulting
>code.  It is one thing to do something and make it PD, and quite another to
>be part of a WG.  I'd hate to have to ask Commodore for the write to use my
>own code :^(.

Wade -

 No where in the proposal does it say that any code or documents become the
sole property of Commodore-Amiga. In fact the document goes out of it's way
to make this clear at the *beginning* of the document:

------------
2.3 Ownership Of Work Performed By Amiga Working Groups

Any  work  performed  by  an  AWG  shall  be  the property of the developer
community  at  large with the AWG Steering Committee acting as the agent of
the  developer  community. 

The  AWG  Steering Committee shall grant free perpetual use licenses to any
member  of  the  developer  community  wishing to have access or use of any
material  developed  by  the  AWG  Project.   No  member  of  the developer
community may be denied access or use of any material developed by an AWG.

The  purpose  of the licensing procedure is two fold.  First, to provide an
owning  entity  so  that  material  produced  by  the  AWG Project will not
technically  be  entered  into the public domain.  Second, to provide for a
database  of users and interested parties to further facilitate information
flow.

2.4 Connection With Commodore-Amiga(tm)

2.4.1 Use And Non-Use Of AWG Developed Material

It must be understood by all parties concerned that involvement of Commodore-
Amiga in the AWG Project or in any specific AWG does not constitute any official
endorsement  of  the  work  being  performed  by  that  group.  Nor does it
obligate Commodore-Amiga to use or not use any of the work performed by any 
group or any group member.  Commodore-Amiga can, of course, have access to or 
use any material developed by the AWG Project perpetually and without any 
financial liability.
------------

So, while the material is not "PD", it can be regarded as "ShareWare", e.g.
we will all share in it's benefits.

>        I'm not saying that this was the intent of the proposal, but I think
>it probably made a pass through the attorney's office at some point.  I don't
>think I could even participate in such a thing without violating other
>contractual obligations.
>
>                                                Thanks,
>
>                                                                Wade.

Interesting, and I guess we'll take that as a compliment. The original proposal
was drafted by Perry and myself and sent to Commodore for review. The only real
changes the reviewers wanted was changing "Commodore Business Machines" to
"Commodore-Amiga". So, I suggest you re-read the proposal in it's entirety. I
see nothing that would violate any normal contractual obligations a good
developer would have.

By the way, there is a group of people hashing out the beginnings of an IFF
Working Group. Please stay tuned for more information after AmiExpo.

-Eric Lavitsky
AWG Steering Committee

ARPA:	eric@topaz.rutgers.edu or eric@ulysses.att.com
UUCP:	{att,ucbvax}!ulysses!eric or {wherever!}rutgers!topaz!eric
SNAIL:	34 Maplehurst Ln, Piscataway, NJ 08854

"To err is human; To really f*ck up requires the root password."