[NTLK] h*cks, kr*ks, SN

[Tony Kan]

Hi Folks

[snip]
Fair use as an example, provides for use by
people including (but not exclusively) historians, academicians, and
researchers for some copyrighted material for some purposes. Other
exceptions include preservation by Libraries, in some situations (and
for those wondering, this doesn't include personal libraries) or for
situations where the storage media may be obsolete -- makes me wonder
if anyone has a working punch card reader that I can load a stack of
Fortran code cards from my college days? If any of that code had any
value or use at all, for anyone, it might be worth discussing, but
alas, it does not.
[snip]

The "fair use" doctrine is a part of US copyright law under s107 of the US Code
(http://tinyurl.com/v62y) and its application might be broader than you'd first
expect.

A discussion of s107 can be found here:  http://tinyurl.com/ylxzdjm

Could "fair use" be considered "noninfringing uses" mentioned in my earlier post
on the DMCA?  Does "fair use" allow copyright protection systems to be
circumvented?  Under the "fair use" doctrine, how do the 4 criteria have any
bearing on using abandoned software or software written for an obsolete
platform?

HTH

Tony Kan
Christchurch
New Zealand