I think the key here is the OP is using the Microsoft Office Web Components
in his "commercial" application.
Whether or not you would be violating the copyright is a little sticky.
While seperate, these components are really intended to be complementary
and/or part of the overall Office solution.
If you are using it for view only, then I think you will have no problem if
you have the customer download the components from Microsoft. Since
Microsoft allows the public to download and install these for view only use
already. If you want to embed it in your installer, you "might" be in
violation.
If you are looking to perform read-write to "create" Excel style content,
then unless the customer already has a valid Excel license you would be in
violation. In fact, the web components supposedly will not function in write
mode without a valid copy of an Office product already installed (according
to the Microsoft Web Component download page). If this is true, then you
still should not be in any real danger of violating the copyright since it
is not supposed to let you create data without Office already installed.
So, all-in-all, I believe if you market your application as a different
front end for existing Office style applications and don't embed the
Microsoft Office/Excel portions of the application into yours, you should be
just fine.
If you start claiming ownership of stuff that isn't yours and market it as a
competing product to create Excel content without Excel, then you have a
problem. In that case, just use a different component, there are many
alternatives.
If in doubt, ask Microsoft.
Gerald
"Ken Dopierala Jr." <kd*********@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news:e4****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
Hi Mike,
Not any laws that I know of. You would only be breaking a law if you
distributed Excel with your program. If you know how to open up .XLS
files and manipulate them without having Excel installed you still wouldn't be
breaking any copyrights. If your program requires Excel then users must
own a valid Excel license and they are fine too. There are many 3rd party
components out there that require users to have Microsoft Office installed
in order to use. Good luck! Ken.
"Mike" <Mi**@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:49**********************************@microsof t.com... I have just started making a microsoft Excel like spread sheet in visual
basic and i am using the microsoft web components spreadsheet control.
If i started distrubuting the program for money say would i be breaking
copyright laws?
