On 26 Nov, 16:14, "Joel Koltner"
wrote:
"Dave" wrote in ...
It's a shame there is not a law that allows software to be used freely after
x years of no new updates.

Well, there -- sort of -- is, it's just that "x" is something like 30 years.
Obviously one could argue endlessly about what that time period should be...

I don't think you'd want to make it, say, 5 or even 10 years -- there's often
still plenty of value left in software that old; whoever owns it will often
decide to sell the entire package to someone else if they haven't had the
means or desire to maintain it for that long. (Look at Commodore -- the name
is still worth millions today even though the "real" Commodore declared
bankruptcy in 1994...)

Why is there a difference with respect to standard patents and
computor programs?
After 20 years it is open season of new patent designs whereas a
programmer doesn't even
declare his source code while holding it for life.Copyright laws in no
way encourage
advancement in science for the population as a whole, it only
encourages greed.
Copyrighting as it is presently framed is just a money pit for
eternity at the
public's expense, therefore it is understandable the law is being
ignored until it is
redrawn along the same lines as patents. Mathematics could be next in
line for copyright
where the money pit could last for centuries and dom civilization
itself!
Best regards
Art
Art