QL intellectual property ownership

[Sparrowhawk]

This may have been discussed already, (and if so apologies), but I this article suggests that Amstrad sold the QL IP to a 3rd party? Is this correct? I'd never heard of this before.

https://github.com/z00m128/zxs-rom/blob ... LICENSE.md

Point 6) is where the QL is mentioned.

Anyone know who it refers to?

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi,

According to this Spectrum Computing message thread:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/forums/ ... php?t=3532

Sky UK own all the Amstrad IP, which could involve the QL.

But when Amstrad purchased Sinclair, they closed the QL product line down.

There seems to be no declared information on the copyright details of QL operating system, QDOS.

I assumed that is why Tony Tebby developed SMS2 then SMSQ/E to be an independant operating system running on Atari hardware. Which was transferred to the QXL and Super/Gold Card equipped QLs,

Maybe SMSQ/E Gold breaks Copyright, but the QL ROM is paged out and not used, so all is possibly okay.

Not sure where the IP of Minerva sits.

Maybe get SMSQ/E running on a BBQL and do not use the Sinclair roms

[janbredenbeek]

According to this page, the Sinclair ROMs may be freely used except for North America, where Paul Holmgren and Frank Davis hold the copyright.

Minerva has been released to the GPL by Laurence Reeves.

[dilwyn]

According to this page, the Sinclair ROMs may be freely used except for North America, where Paul Holmgren and Frank Davis hold the copyright.

Minerva has been released to the GPL by Laurence Reeves.

Do bear in mind that that only refers to the QL ROMs, not the QL itself, of course.

[Sparrowhawk]

Thanks all, I had indeed forgotten the Sky part, and the rest was new to me.