In a message dated 10/7/2004 8:55:28 PM Eastern Standard Time, Rustproof@xxxxxxxxxxx writes: <<The reason that operations were discontinued was simply due to a nasty-gram sent to me from DMCH because of the use of the DMC logo. It simply wasn't worth the effort.>> Hi- Though I've never yet gotten around to printing updated manuals as I have long hoped, I have done a lot of research, including copyright and ownership issues of DMC intellectual property. This subject comes up from time to time, and my responses, for some reason, have never made it past the moderators. Why? Well, here goes... again. James Espey of DMC Texas has frequently claimed that they own the rights to copyrighted DMC materials. He bases this claim on the purchase of the KAPAC inventory of parts plus assorted paperwork and odds and ends. Is this how copyright privileges change ownership? The US gov copyright office makes that perfectly clear: NO. DMC Texas is not JZD's company, is not the successor to JZD's company, and did not buy JZD's company... or any of the company's copyrights. Which explains why they're not on file with the government. So if DMC Texas doesn't own them, and JZD's company is defunct, does that mean that they're open game for anybody to use? Again, the answer is no. If you want, you can take your chances. But the copyright owner has a right to prosecute you. In the case of the DeLorean copyrighted materials, the owner has apparently never prosecuted anyone. So is it possible to determine who exactly owns the copyrights? Yes. I spoke to the David Allard, Esq., the bankruptcy trustee for the DeLorean case. He told me that the copyright privileges were officially transfered to Mr. DeLorean as part of the bankruptcy settlement. In fact, I went so far as to ask Mr. DeLorean's permission to reprint the manuals. He was kind enough to give me permission... in writing. I appreciate and have bought from DMC Texas but I gag everytime I see this kind of _________ claim from James about their supposed rights. (Fill in your own adjective in the blank!) I understand they copyrighted a variation on the DMC logo just a few years ago, but that's not anywhere close to a blanket ownership, is it? And it sure isn't based on buying parts! I'm almost surprised they haven't told the other vendors to stop printing manuals. Here's a challenge: if I'm wrong, James, send me a copy of the paperwork transferring copyright ownership from JZD or his company to DMC Texas, and I promise to publically apologize for my error right here on the DML. Deal? Wayne A. Ernst Bridgeton, NJ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: dmcnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/