Date   : Fri, 04 May 1990 15:32:54 GMT
From   : zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!ogicse!zephyr.ens.tek.com!orca.wv.tek.com!frip!andrew@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Andrew Klossner)
Subject: Infocom-- Public Domain?

[]

       "Someone noted that the Infocom company was no longer.  Does
       this imply that software they published is now in the public
       domain?"

No.  When a company stops operating, they still retain the rights to
their assets, and can transfer them.  Activision, or whoever owns them,
holds the rights to the Infocom software.  This leaves new CP/M users
in the frustrating position of wanting Infocom CP/M games but having no
legal means of obtaining them, other than buying them from other CP/M
users or from the dusty stocks of distributors.

On a similar note, it should be mentioned that CP/M dBASE II, whose
port has been discussed here recently, is still copyright by
Ashton-Tate, even though they no longer sell or support it.

  -=- Andrew Klossner   (uunet!tektronix!frip.WV.TEK!andrew)    [UUCP]
                        (andrew%frip.wv.tek.com@relay.cs.net)   [ARPA]