And remember that you need the text
"Copyright [year(s)] by [author]"  or the
fully encircled letter C copyright symbol, not "(C)",
to be legally binding. I also include the copyright
text string in clear ASCII text in the unused space
at the end of code space and a (C) stamp on the chip
itself to avoid the potential court loss caused by the
???? chess game lawsuit precedent in the 1980's.
Judge ruled that since the EPROM didn't have a copyright
notice ON THE CHIP, it was fair game to copy the code. DUH??
Ounce of prevention and all that...

Robert

Aza D. Oberman wrote:

> <Russell McMahon posted links from a blogger/publisher which said among
> other things the following are myths>
> 
>>>1) "If it doesn't have a copyright notice, it's not copyrighted."
> 
> 
> Oh dear, calling that a myth must be part of the patriotic lawyer's relief
> act.  Imagine being on a jury and listening to someone saying "Oh sure I
> could have put readers on notice but I didn't bother."  The letter of
> "legal" clashes with the common sense of "equitable."
> 
> It's a bit like saying "I let the other driver hit me because I had the
> right-of-way and didn't have to try to avoid the accident -- now make the
> other driver pay up."  Or the ever popular, "I'm so sorry your toddler
> drowned in my swimming pool, but a fence isn't necessary because your child
> was committing the crime of trespassing."  Both of those arguments rarely
> cut the legal cheese in practice.
> 
> Judges and juries are not machines, and it's always a difficult argument to
> ask them to hew to the letter of a law when the plantiff didn't bother to
> give notice.
> 
> When intellectual property can be labeled, do it.  If it ever comes down to
> litigation under US or English Common law you are in that much stronger a
> position.
> 
> Just a thought.
> 
> Aza Oberman
> 
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