In other words, DRM from top to bottom ...

Posted Nov 26, 2009 20:31 UTC (Thu) by anton (subscriber, #25547)
In reply to: In other words, DRM from top to bottom ... by niner
Parent article: Linux Implements Support For Trusted Computing, Safer Online Transactions (The Gov Monitor)

In Austrian law (and a number of other European countries) the Urheberrecht belongs to the author and is not transferable (unless the author dies). There are also the Verwertungsrechte (usage rights), and they can be licensed and maybe transferred to others, but that's up to contracts. There is no automatic transfer of any rights by law, and when I asked the legal department of TU Wien about this, the lady at the other end was very surprised about my question; the idea of such an automatic transfer was obviously completely alien to her.

In other words, DRM from top to bottom ...

Posted Nov 26, 2009 21:23 UTC (Thu) by niner (subscriber, #26151) [Link]

Then your lady should have an occasional look at the law.

If I may cite Austrian law on this:
"§ 40b. Wird ein Computerprogramm von einem Dienstnehmer in Erfüllung
seiner dienstlichen Obliegenheiten geschaffen, so steht dem Dienstgeber
hieran ein unbeschränktes Werknutzungsrecht zu, wenn er mit dem Urheber
nichts anderes vereinbart hat."

In English (for anyone interested): if a computer program is written by an
employee while fulfilling his duties to his employer, the employer gets
unlimited usage rights unless he arranged something different with the
program's creator.

http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnorme...

Some further explanation:
http://www.fnm-austria.at/erf/info/de:Arbeitsergebnisse