Free for all; Richard Stallman is consumed by the fight to end copyrighting of software
Article Abstract:
Richard Stallman intends to eliminate the patenting and copyrighting of computer software so that developers may use any program in order to create a new one without the threat of being sued. Intellectual property law has been extended to cover software and has resulted in a multibillion-dollar software industry fraught with a multitude of competing property claims. Stallman believes that software companies should make profits from servicing and enhancing their products rather than simply by selling them. Stallman claims that enough people are willing to program for the social good rather than profit, and insists that many programs never get written because programmers are fearful of copyright infringement. Stallman pioneered a legal concept called 'copyleft' which stipulates that users of his software may not assert ownership over any enhancements to it. Stallman is a highly respected programmer who has won several awards and grants for his contributions to the computer industry.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1991
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Microsoft Corp expected to buy Fox Software
Article Abstract:
Microsoft plans to purchase Fox Software Inc in a strategic move to enter the data base market. Microsoft will pay at least $200 million in stock for Fox, which is Microsoft's largest acquisition ever. The acquisition also pits Microsoft against Borland International Inc, the largest supplier of data bases in the market. Fox is the second largest supplier of data bases with revenues of $75 million. Microsoft has had trouble developing its own data base product and will now compete in the data base market for the first time. Data bases are the only significant software market that Microsoft has not yet entered.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1992
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