Re: mods for compiling perl && perl common packages

[Tim Hollebeek <tim at wagner dot princeton dot edu>]

David Nicol writes ...
> 
> Kamil Iskra wrote:
> > 
> > On Mon, 3 Aug 1998, Joe Buck wrote:
> > 
> > > For most working programmers and quite a few grad students in
> > > the US, the statement "I place this software in the public domain" is
> > > worthless (they have no power to make it) unless also signed by the
> > > employer, since their employer can at least in some cases assert a claim
> > > (universities, too, are getting greedy/desparate for funds and are trying
> > > to profit on the work of grad students employed as researchers).
> 
> It is my understanding, which may be obsolete, that unless explicitly
> transferred to one's employer (which is often done) copyright for 
> original work remains with the artist who created it.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice.

US Code, Title 17, Chapter 2, Section 201 part (b)

b) Works Made for Hire. - In the case of a work made for hire,
    the employer or other person for whom the work was prepared is
    considered the author for purposes of this title, and, unless the
    parties have expressly agreed otherwise in a written instrument
    signed by them, owns all of the rights comprised in the copyright.

I suspect that the copyright transfers you were asked to sign may have
just been to avoid having to prove in court that your work actually
constituted "work made for hire".

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Tim Hollebeek                           | "Everything above is a true
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