Are old shareware programs becoming public domian after 25 years?
Can I get in trouble, if I'm using registered version of program, if author's abandoned his email, and I have no option to confirm purchase?
My guess is that shareware doesn't magically become freeware with time. So, no.
Because of the timeframe, I doubt you would get in trouble unless the author gets wind that you're reselling the software or something not cool.
What's the software you're using?
The more sound cards, the better.
AdLib documentary : Official Thread
Youtube Channel : The Sound Card Database
Nobody cares. do it.
Now if you start making money at it, someone somewhere might care. Depending on how much you make.
It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.
It depends on what country you're in. In the US, no computer software is public domain due to age. Copyright in the US lasts a ridiculously long time - it's currently at "120 years after creation, or 95 years after publication, whichever is shorter." Which means the NEWEST something can be to be public domain by age is from 1921. Obviously, there was no computer software then.
Most "industrialized" nations have similar length copyright.
Obviously, some authors of old shareware willingly put their software into the public domain, or just made it freeware. But unless the author did that, it is still legally covered by copyright. The old DOS game Scorched Earth? Still shareware. If you want to play it for long, you are supposed to pay the author for a permanent license. Hopefully Mr. Hicken still uses the same PO Box as in the ORDER.FRM file...
That said, if you aren't trying to make money from it, and the original author can't be contacted to register it, odds are nobody will care about someone using the software unlicensed. I wouldn't try that with Commander Keen, though, which is still being sold.
wrote:It depends on what country you're in. In the US, no computer software is public domain due to age. Copyright in the US lasts a ridiculously long time - it's currently at "120 years after creation, or 95 years after publication, whichever is shorter." Which means the NEWEST something can be to be public domain by age is from 1921. Obviously, there was no computer software then.
Most "industrialized" nations have similar length copyright.
That term applies to works made for hire and pseudonymous works, if by individuals, it is life plus 70 years. If the software was unpublished, you wouldn't have been able to make use of it, so the 120 year duration is rarely an issue.
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