neophyte Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Longhorn isn't warez when its in alpha/betaRegardles of the type of release the software is (alpha/beta etc) it is still a copyrighted material.Therefore, it is still goverened by the terms and conditions of the license attached to it.It is a violation of copyright laws to be using the software if you have not been granted a license for it, or a license is not available for it.If you really want a copy, you must become a member of the beta team, or be lucky enough to be given an evaluation copy.If you have an evaluation license, or an alpha/beta license, you are granted use of that software as dictated by the terms of the copyright contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveXP Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Longhorn isn't warez when its in alpha/betaRegardles of the type of release the software is (alpha/beta etc) it is still a copyrighted material.Therefore, it is still goverened by the terms and conditions of the license attached to it.It is a violation of copyright laws to be using the software if you have not been granted a license for it, or a license is not available for it.If you really want a copy, you must become a member of the beta team, or be lucky enough to be given an evaluation copy.If you have an evaluation license, or an alpha/beta license, you are granted use of that software as dictated by the terms of the copyright contract. Terminator3 *smacks neophyte serveral times and tells him to shut up*I bet Microsoft dont care because they are letting there customers get a feel for the software before the real version which matters about copyright is realsed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neophyte Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 So?AaronXP was incorrect. I am simply stating facts.Whether MS intentionally "leak" the alphas/betas or not, is not the point.It is still illegal to use them if you haven't been given license to do so.As such, if MS choose to do so, they can (and I think they did so at one stage) take legal action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveXP Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 So?AaronXP was incorrect. I am simply stating facts.Whether MS intentionally "leak" the alphas/betas or not, is not the point.It is still illegal to use them if you haven't been given license to do so.As such, if MS choose to do so, they can (and I think they did so at one stage) take legal action.If you have lonhorn 4008 and microsoft i released longhorn 4015 then ou shold no that 4008 it no longer copyright because a newer version of the software and a new version of the licence has been relased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neophyte Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 You obviously don't know much about copyright.Anything published in any medium is copyrightable by the publisher (the publisher can also be the author).Simply because previous versions are "released" doesn't mean that the copyright for the previous version is nullified.A copyright exists on any published medium for as long as the author is alive, and then some (it may vary from country to country, and in some countries, you may be required to apply for copyright permission).In Australia, if you publish something, and you are the author, it is copyright exclusively for you. You are now entitled to license it to any other person with any sort of restrictive rights or so forth.The copyright will only expire after (I am not to sure on this) 70 or so years after your death.The copyright will still be applicable to previous version/s of software whether an "update" or a new version is released or not.Putting it simply, it doesn't matter what build number of Longhorn you have (or any other pre-release/alpha/beta software from any company, for that matter), it will still have a copyright applicable to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0r3d Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Its like Walt Disney. He's been around for a while, and it was a few years ago that the copywrite for Mickey Mouse and his cute little crew ran out. (Approx 70 years like neophyte said). When the copywrite was valid, if Walt decided to redraw Mickey mouse, give him a new hat or something, it doesnt mean that the previous version of Mickey was able to be freely distributed and used for your own underground gambling and porn logo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveXP Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 You obviously don't know much about copyright.Anything published in any medium is copyrightable by the publisher (the publisher can also be the author).Simply because previous versions are "released" doesn't mean that the copyright for the previous version is nullified.A copyright exists on any published medium for as long as the author is alive, and then some (it may vary from country to country, and in some countries, you may be required to apply for copyright permission).In Australia, if you publish something, and you are the author, it is copyright exclusively for you. You are now entitled to license it to any other person with any sort of restrictive rights or so forth.The copyright will only expire after (I am not to sure on this) 70 or so years after your death.The copyright will still be applicable to previous version/s of software whether an "update" or a new version is released or not.Putting it simply, it doesn't matter what build number of Longhorn you have (or any other pre-release/alpha/beta software from any company, for that matter), it will still have a copyright applicable to it.but you are forgeting the licence was super seeded by a new one so there for it makes the one one invailed.and i bet microsoft like people getting there betas as if ive microsoft a beat chance of making a bet product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayroller Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Hmm, I didn't notice MS making a fuss when the MSN Messenger 6 beta(s) made it on to the web - let's be honest, it gave them more publicity and attention than they could ever have bought. They may view Longhorn differently though, as it's only in the alpha stage and bugs/features seen now may be detrimental to opinions of the finished product (should it ever be finished, that is....). And, of course, messenger is free and no doubt LH will have a hefty price tag.... As it stands, apart from curiosity/noseiness, there's no good reason to download it now, but it's widely available on the file sharing networks should you wish to waste a partition on it. As for the legality of it, my personal opinion of it is that if people are using it out of curiosity at home then there shouldn't be a problem. Sort of free alpha/beta testing for MS - I'm **** sure someone at Redmond has a little peek on the net to see what peoples opinions of it are, what folks like and don't like, and what the general level of interest is. Me, I'm awaiting the knock of the bowl-chopped banshee any day now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neophyte Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 No. It doesn't matter whether the license was supersceded or not.The simple fact is, that no matter what version of the OS you are using, it is still copyright protected.It doesn't matter if 4 billion other licenses have been released, it's still copyright protected, and the license for that version is applicable (unless an updated license is released for that particular version).How bloody hard is it to understand?An updated license only superscedes a previous license if that license was specifically released for that version.So whether or not a new version of the software comes out, the license is still valid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zivan56 Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 I don't read the license so it does not apply to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neophyte Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 A license applies to you whether you read it or not.However, there is a lot of controversy about licenses that are only able to be read by opening the shrinkwrap (called shrinklicensed) or by clicking (clicklicense) a button.On one hand, they are applicable, as they do dictate the terms of the copyright "license", yet on the other, they could be considered invalid, as they were not seen at time of purchase.However, we shall ignore those petty arguments, and assume that the license is applicable.If you've read it, or haven't, you are still bound by the copyright license, and "required" to follow it.Whether you do is up to you, but if caught, you can be prosecuted (as according to the law). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkyre Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 One has to wonder, why would you want to test out an alpha operating system? Yuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukemall Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 Lets see here... so you can get sneak peak at whats coming up, and in Windows Longhorn's case, 3 years in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0r3d Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 Thats three years, optimisticly speaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ĶϊĽĽē&# Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 yea, don't steal from microsoft......poor billy gates is gonna go broke, he needs our support! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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