> At 03:55 PM 8/4/2004 -0500, Matthew Perdue wrote:
> >John Lee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > >If you alter the SUSAN number in Jan 1, 2007, have you harmed HP?
> > >
> > >John Lee
> >
> >Probably not, other than some small charge that HP may charge for
> >changing a SUSAN number. HP doesn't actually own the SUSAN number,
just
> >the software that can change the SUSAN number.
> >
> >Now if you have or someone wants to write, independantly, software
that
> >will change the SUSAN number then you or they will own the copyright
to
> >that software, not HP - since HP didn't write the new software.
> >
> >Note: John poses a classic law school question, for anyone that's
taken
> >courses in technology law. It's a good question. Anyone up for
writing
> >software that changes the SUSAN number (without causing a BOO DEAD on
> >boot up)?
>
> Perhaps true, perhaps not.   But if you've done it to defraud some
organization
> so as to utilize a licensed software product on a system or by an
organization
> that it was not originally licensed for you would be subject to
litigation
> as well
> as the company to whom the license was originally granted.  Most
times the
> terms of a licensing agreement do not stop because support is
discontinued
> by either party.   These things boil down to intent...   And just
because HP
> chooses to no longer support a product does not mean that the
> product/technology
> become public domain.
>
> And one needs to be cautious, as you may 'own' the computing
hardware, but
> only have a right-to-use license for the technology that uses/drives
the
> hardware.
> And right-to-use licenses sometimes have clauses concerning tampering
or
> reverse-engineering.  Changing the SUSAN would be tampering...
>
> Indeed a grey area and something that would be interesting to hear
well-healed
> technology lawyers argue...  Perhaps we can get Eugene to attend and
share
> his insight... as I find this evolving area of trade law quite
> facinating... :-)

Your comments are interesting, Jerry, but I think you've gone way
beyond the initial question which I was addressing. The original
question was would HP be harmed, not other vendors of software, such as
your company produces.

I think you know as well as I do that the SUSAN number is not in the
tapes (or CD) that contains the OS code - it is in the firmware on the
processor board (or motherboard or backplane, whatever/wherever -
others and HP know that point better than I).

Also if memory serves Eugene has concentrated in constitutional law
since leaving active day-to-day participation in the HP3000 community.

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