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Original thread:
Post 307 made on Wednesday December 31, 2008 at 09:56
Darnitol
Universal Remote Control Inc.
Joined:
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June 1999
2,071
In this case I think it's particularly important for me to point out that I speak for myself and not for URC. Having said that...

To answer the underlying question directly:

MX-Editor is a copyrighted work. Copyright grants the author or owner of a work the exclusive right to determine the conditions under which a work can be distributed. Without the owner's written permission, you can't distribute a copyrighted work under any circumstance except a handful of exceptions which fall under the "fair use" clause.

So no, you can't share or post the editor software for your remote. Like any copyrighted work, you don't own it. (As an example, we all know we're not allowed to distribute copies of the DVDs we buy.)

There are a lot of "urban legend" level misconceptions about contract and copyright law. Chief among these is the idea that if a work is distributed for free, that automatically means there are no collectable damages, and therefore no defensable legal case. I won't go into it here, but having written dozens of user manuals over the years for many companies, I got deeply schooled on this issue. If you really care about the laws and potential consequences, study them directly instead of taking on faith what you hear on the Internet. The reality is quite different from the rumor.

Okay so... As I said, I don't represent URC here. I'm not in a position to know what URC will or will not do in regard to this policy or in defense of it. I truly am speaking in general terms in direct response to the posted question. And the answer to that question is, "No, copyright law does not allow you to freely distribute software, even if you obtained it at no direct cost to you."

Best regards,
Dale
I'm a member of the Remote Central community, just like you! My comments here are my own, and in no way express the opinions, policies, or plans of Universal Remote Control, Inc.


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