IE 4 and copyright

[Peter Murray]

--On Thu, Oct 16, 1997 10:54 AM -0700 "Marcos Silva" <msilva at ccemtl.org>
wrote: 
> I was under the impression that IE 4 was freeware and it can be installed
> on our workstations without restrictions. The vendor, however, where I
> purchased the CD-ROM informed me that IE 4 is not freeware and individual
> copies must be purchased for each station. I could not find any
information
> on the Microsoft homepage (except where it says you can download IE 4 for
> free). Does anyone know whether the CD version can be copied without
> restrictions.

MSIE is not "freeware" (a term which typically implies that the author
relinquishes all rights to the software), but it is freely distributable. 
My copy of MSIE 4.0b1 for the Macintosh came with a file called
"Help/license.htm" (in my MSIE folder) that says in part:

  The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by copyright laws and international 
  copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and 
  treaties. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed, not sold. 

  1. GRANT OF LICENSE. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed as follows: 

    *	Installation and Use. Microsoft grants you the right to install
      and use copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on your computers running
      validly licensed copies of the operating system for which the
      SOFTWARE PRODUCT was designed [e.g., Windows(r) 95; Windows NT(r),
      Windows 3.x, Macintosh, etc.]. 

    *	Backup Copies. You may also make copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT
      as may be necessary for backup and archival purposes. 

It sounds to me like the vendor is trying to get a little bit of extra money
out  of you.  You can download MSIE free from Microsoft's site, after all...


Peter
--
Peter Murray, Library Systems Manager                    pem at po.cwru.edu
Digital Media Services                 http://www.cwru.edu/home/pem.html
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio          W:216-368-5888