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[nls-legal] Referral from Val Nielsen regarding Computer History Museum

To: Richard Abramson <richard.abramson@sri.com>
Cc: Valerie Nielsen <valerie.nielsen@sri.com>, Adam.cheyer@sri.com, nls-legal@chm.cim3.net
From: Philip Gust <gust@NouveauSystems.com>
Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2006 16:52:09 -0700
Message-id: <7.0.1.0.2.20060407161942.13fcb4d8@NouveauSystems.com>
Richard,    (01)

Val Nielsen referred me to you.  I'm leading a volunteer team at the 
Computer History Museum to restore and preserve Doug Engelbart's 
NLS/Augment system. Several advisory team member, including Doug 
Engelbart and Jeff Rulifson, were on the original NLS team at SRI.  I 
first met Doug in 1986, when I started the Collaboration Technologies 
group at HP Labs.    (02)

One of our goals is to release a complete record historical documents 
and the NLS/Augment system itself. Consequently, we have been trying 
to determine the status of copyrights to the system and related 
documentation.  It has been an interesting case study for potential 
orphaned works legislation: none of the companies we know must have 
owned it retains legal records on it. Our strategy has been to get 
releases from each of them to the effect that they have no records of 
owning it, but have no problem for their part with CHM releasing 
copyrighted material on a non-commercial basis. Thanks to help from 
Lew Platt at Boeing and Vint Cerf who used to be at MCI, we have 
releases from Boeing and British Telecom, and expect to have one from 
MCI shortly.    (03)

My purpose in contacting you is to ask for your help to have SRI 
provide a similar release for any material it may still have under 
copyright. If you would be willing to discuss this, I would be happy 
to meet with you and provide additional information, including copies 
of releases we have already obtained.  Please let me know if you 
would like to do this, and what date and time would be best for you.    (04)

The project has been running nearly eighteen months and we hope to 
complete the initial phase of preservation work soon, possibly to 
coincide with SRI's 50th anniversary in October.  We have an 
NLS/Augment system running in software emulation, and quite a bit of 
additional historical material.  We are currently considering 
different ways to make the material available, including through an 
on-line "cyber exhibit", and as a download package or commemorative 
DVD. Of course, we would be grateful for any additional material or 
resources SRI could provide related to this project.    (05)

Thank you in advance for your help, and I look forward to talking 
with you soon.    (06)




Philip Gust
President and CEO
Nouveau Systems, Inc.
3120 De La Cruz Blvd., Suite 120
Santa Clara, CA 95054    (07)

phone: +1 650 961-7992
fax:   +1 520 843-7217    (08)

mailto: gust@NouveauSystems.com    (09)

Nouveau Systems products seamlessly integrate collaboration, 
information management, processes automation, and capture of 
mission-critical knowledge.  To learn how Nouveau Systems products 
can help your organization drive innovation, visit: 
http://www.NouveauSystems.com    (010)



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