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Article #5265Copyrights on Disassembled Viruses
From: JAMES E. MOLINI
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1990 04:33
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1990 04:33
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1456 bytes
I have a question for the group. Recently I was scanning a disassembled virus. It had been intercepted and documented by someone here in the US. I found it strange, however, that the person who disassembled and documented this virus actually copyrighted his disassembly. My question rests on 2 levels. First, is it legal for someone to document another's work and subsequently make it different enough that it can be considered his property with the accompanying distribution restrictions (regardless of the originator's desire to be known)? Secondly, is it ethical in this community to copyright work that is supposedly for the public good? I do not favor posting virus code on Virus-L, but would become very concerned if virus information became one more place for commercialism and private advantage to hobble general efforts at preventing catastrophe. Please post your unabashed comments to the board, but leave me personally out of it. I only asked the question. Jim Molini
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arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jarthur!polyslo!vlsi3b15!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!sei.cmu.edu!krvwShow Full Headers
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jarthur!polyslo!vlsi3b15!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!sei.cmu.edu!krvw From: jmolini@nasamail.nasa.gov (JAMES E. MOLINI) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: Copyrights on Disassembled Viruses Message-ID: <0016.9002231213.AA10580@ge.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 23 Feb 90 04:33:00 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.EDU> Lines: 21 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu