[Icom] Service Manuals on CD

[Caitlyn Martin]

Hi, everyone,
> 
> They are pirated copies of the manuals.  Someone has scanned the 
> copyrighted Icom manuals, put them on a CD and is selling them.  If you 
> normally buy pirated software this won't bother you.  If you would prefer 
> not to buy stolen goods, it will.

Dick makes a great point.  There are all sorts of manuals and schematics all over the web.  In some very few cases it is with permission of the company.  In other cases the company has gone out of business and the copyright has expired putting the manual in the public domain.  In *most* cases it's just plain illegal and a copyright violation.

Some of you know that I run the Mizuho reflector and that I am slowly building an "unofficial" Mizuho website.  (There is no official site, even in Japanese.)  I have been asked about posting manuals and schematics and I have resisted doing so.  Why?  Mizuho is very much in business and *sells* old manual copies.  I just bought two myself.  Icom is no different.  Nowadays Mizuho has no presence in the US, but international copyright laws still apply AFAIK.

I am not an attorney nor an expert.  I was, for many years, a software developer.  I have had a little of my writing published over the years. I know I don't want my intellectual property taken without my permission.  Would you?

I also wonder a lot about W7FG, sarrio.com, and others.  

Thanks, Dick, for notifying Icom.  I hope they (with eBay's help) put a stop to it.

73,
Caity
KU4QD