[Amps] email the Agilent lawyer .... no manuals on BAMA

[Colin Lamb]

Although we appreciate the resource of free manuals, and hat to spend $50 for copies of manuals of an old boatanchor piece of test equipment we bought for $5, there are valid reasons for Agilent, or any other company, to tighten up on the free distribution of manuals.

The first concern from their standpoint would be whether allowing people to violate their copyright while they do nothing would be a waiver of copyrights on other manuals, which are more current.  I suspect that fear may be the driving force.  

A secondary matter, is that there may be some legitimate companies who have offered Agilent revenue for the rights to publish their manuals.  That agreement may require Agilent to enforce their copyright rights against others.  

I am convinced that the reason the attorney is enforcing the copyright has nothing to do with BPL or punishing amateurs.  That conclusion is rather paranoid.  Sending letters or e-mails to the lawyer will simply confirm that he was effective in doing what he intended to do.

The copyright is granted to the owner and it may be exercised as the owner sees fit.   The right may be sold, kept or abandoned.  Whatever decision process Agilent used, I am sure it was based on a reasonable business decision - whether we agree with it or not.  Just because we do not agree with it does not mean that Agilent is an unethical or mean spirited company.  

Maybe some of their valuable customers complained.  Maybe they feel it will interfere with the sale of new equipment.  Our complaining about how Agilent exercises their rights is like our neighbors trying to tell us how many antennas we should have up, or how they are decorated.  

If you do not like it, buy enough shares to control the company and change the rules.

Colin  K7FM

-----Original Message-----
From: John Darwin Powers <jdp3 at cornell.edu>
Sent: Apr 25, 2005 10:30 AM
To: amps at contesting.com
Subject: [Amps] email the Agilent lawyer .... no manuals on BAMA

On the enclosed .pdf file you will see the email address of the lawyer 
who wrote the letter to BAMA.  Feel free to write him to let him know 
how you feel about Agilent's decision to enforce the copyright law on 
manuals related to equipment they have no interest in dealing with 
anymore.  His email is jim_simon at agilent.com.