🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2gevvi$h...@explorer.clark.net> th...@clark.net (Taylor Hutt) writes:
>With logic like that, everyone person on the planet would be giving 
>someone else a percentage of something.  That is silly logic.  You cannot 
>expect every entrepreneur to pay money simply because the originator 'may 
>not get their fair share'.

Well, yes, you can.  If "originator" means "owner", they have a perfect
right to control access to their product, and charge you if you want to
be a licensed distributor.  That's why it's called *copy*right, they
control the right to copy it!

>
>You are correct in stating that people will 'feel they have paid the
>price of the game already', and probably not pay for the shareware, but
>that does NOT entitle the game's author to a percentage. 

No, it entitles them to *stop* you from doing so.
You may or may not be able to enter into an arrangement with them
to let you pass it on, if you ask.  Any such arrangement will probably
involve either a percentage or some other financial compensation.


To answer the original question, as to whether ID *can* do anything
legally, they can sue a distributor for actual damages (probably measured
by the amount actually collected by the distributor) and (assuming ID
went to the trouble of filing a copy with the Copyright Office) statutory
damages of $20,000 (I think, someone correct me if this is off) just
for the insult.

They may also be able to pursue criminal sanctions,
but that requires a higher burden of proof and the participation of
government prosecutors.

   Mitch