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From: pshuang@athena.mit.edu (Ping-Shun Huang)
Subject: Re: Selling old version of software.
In-Reply-To: potelle@MAINE.MAINE.EDU's message of 24 Jun 91 16:27:38 GMT
Message-ID: <PSHUANG.91Jun26170626@beeblebrox.mit.edu>
Sender: news@athena.mit.edu (News system)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
References: <POTELLE.910624122738@maine.maine.EDU>
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 91 21:06:33 GMT
Lines: 24

In article <POTELLE.910624122738@maine.maine.EDU> potelle@MAINE.MAINE.EDU ("John A. Potelle") writes:

 > Can anyone comment on the legal problems (if any) of selling old
 > versions of PC software that is no longer is use, i.e some packages
 > were upgraded and the older versions are collecting dust.

Conceptually, when you bought the first version, you obtained a license
to use that version of their software.  I think an upgrade (depending on
the particular brand of legalese that a company favors) in legal terms
modifies that license to the new version, not provide you with another
license which is for the new version.  So morally (and possibly
legally), you probably shouldn't provide the old copy to someone else
because they will not "have" a license for running the software.

I like the comment someone made about Wordperfect's policy.  My high
school received several dozen copies of Wordperfect 5.0 licenses donated
when the commercial firm upgraded to 5.1, which was nice.  Since the
schools provide tech support to the students, there's little extra load
on WP tech support, and the computer literacy classes were turning out
students who are at least a little bit familiar with Wordperfect.

--
Above text where applicable is (c) Copyleft 1991, all rights deserved by:
UNIX:/etc/ping instantiated (Ping Huang) [INTERNET: pshuang@athena.mit.edu]
