🚀 go-pugleaf

In <1993Jan5.191138.16420@netcom.com> strnlght@netcom.com (David Sternlight) writes:


>As I understand things from my conversations with the inventor of the
>VCR+ ... [stuff deleted]
>they provide the program to the stations on very stringent security
>terms, to compute the codes. That was my info as of six months
>ago--it may have changed--dunno. Back then, I noticed that two
>sources of published codes, the L.A. Times and TV guide occasionally
>had different codes for the same program, which suggests other
>than a central source. (They weren't typos, and both worked.)

I trust that readers of this group have no trouble figuring out why
this would happen -- right?

The VCR+ people provide programs to the LA Times, and to TV Guide,
that are not identical.  Sure the codes work the same from both versions
of the program, but the difference in what is printed in the guide 
makes it possible for the VCR+ people to figure out _which_ copy
of the program was used to create a given set of plus codes.
That way if, say, LA Times started selling codes to TV Guide, or to
someone else, the VCR+ people would be able to blame the LA Times.
We intellectual property lawyers call that a "spike".


-- 
Carl Oppedahl AA2KW  (intellectual property lawyer)
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY  10112-0228
voice 212-408-2578     fax 212-765-2519