Open source shareware?

[John Cowan]

Forrest J. Cavalier III wrote:

 Today, a copyright holder may control
> the RAM copy of a software copyright-protected work.


USC 117 says (in part):

# [I]t is not an infringement for the owner of a copy of a computer
# program to make or authorize the making of another copy or adaptation
# of that computer program provided [...] that such a new copy or
# adaptation is created as an essential step in the utilization of the
# computer program in conjunction with a machine and that it is used in
# no other manner [...].

> The fact that a
> copyright holder can control his or her work at the level of a RAM copy
> may be big trouble for us. Ostensibly, one can hardly "use' software
> without the author's permission,


On the contrary.  The above says that you can copy the program if 1)
you own a copy, 2) you can't use it without copying it, 3) you don't use
the copy in any other way.

IANAL, TINLA.


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