[DECtalk] DECTalk 5 (Sapi) Thank you, and please help

Mon Jul 20 05:09:59 EDT 2015

The simple answer to your question is no.  Copyrights last a minimum of 75 
years from when they're filed, so if it ever expires, it probably won't be 
in your lifetime.  You didn't think about this, but there are probably also 
patent issues.  Patents do expire, but trademarks fall under different 
rules.  Probably the DECtalk name is trademarked which is why they called it 
something else.  There are some copyright exceptions for some kinds of 
software, but even if it's public domain, that doesn't mean you'll ever see 
the source for it.  For example, any work released before 1922 in the US is 
now in the public domain, but that doesn't bring back the thousands of lost 
silent movies which will never be seen again, even though the copyrights 
have elapsed.  Similarly, there are estimated to be at least a million 
written works now in the public domain which are not available online.  In 
other words, it isn't just a rights issue.  It's also an availability issue.

On 7/19/2015 5:39 AM, Blake Roberts via Dectalk wrote:
> I'm wondering the same thing. When a technology such as Dectalk is no longer
> being developed, does that mean it will eventually become public domain in
> copyright terms after a period of years? It is my understanding that Fonix
> lost interest in Dectalk because they developed Fonixtalk, but I expect they
> still owned the Dectalk copyright at the time of their bankrupcy. Fonixtalk,
> based in part on Dectalk, was still being marketed as of 2013. See this article:
>
> http://www.orbitresearch.com/news_details.php?id=9
>
> *Apparently, according to the article,  Fonixtalk was acquired by a company
> called SpeechFX. However, I have no idea if that company also owns the
> rights to Dectalk.*
>
> *Blake*
>
> **
>
> *From:*Dectalk [mailto:dectalk-bounces at bluegrasspals.com] *On Behalf Of
> *Mohamed via Dectalk
> *Sent:* Sunday, July 19, 2015 6:59 AM
> *To:* DECtalk
> *Cc:* Mohamed
> *Subject:* Re: [DECtalk] DECTalk 5 (Sapi) Thank you, and please help
>
> Does Fonix still own the rights to DECtalk technology? Or is it some other
> company?
>
> On 07/18/15 09:02 PM, Blake Roberts via Dectalk wrote:
>
>> Just to clarify some things: The Flame of Hope is owned by a former member
>> of this list, Snoopi Botten. While his site does offer valuable Dectalk
>> resources including songs, there is no affiliation with bluegrasspals. On
>> one section of the site, he tells people how to join this list because
>> there is such a wide breadth/depth of Dectalk knowledge on here. The only
>> reason Snoopi left this list some months ago is because emails kept
>> bouncing. This resulted in him having to be unsubscribed even though he
>> did not want to do so.
>>
>> The Dectalk SAPI referred to is one which Snoopi and I obtained from
>> someone when we were working on Enable Rehab's Dectalk project some years
>> ago. I participated voluntarily. Although the SAPI calls itself 5.0, it
>> really uses Dectalk version 4.63. I originally provided the SAPI to this
>> list in 2011 as something for members to play with while Enable Rehab was
>> developing their own Dectalk product.
>>
>> Enable's final product ultimately used a completely different version of
>> Dectalk altogether. By that time Snoopi and I were no longer associated
>> with the company. We eventually chose to create our own zip file with the
>> SAPI we had received and Dectalk utilities acquired by Enable. The reason
>> for our own zip file I don't need to go into at present. This was done so
>> that the public can have a free SAPI version of Dectalk and utilities to
>> use. The file called "instructions for Dectalk Reader 1" was primarily
>> written by myself to help people understand what everything included did
>> or didn't do. Again, the instruction file was created as a public service.
>>
>> As for the SAPI limitations, I've known for years that it can only sing
>> via an application called TTS App and only then to a limited extent. As
>> for the other limitations you mention, I did not know about them. The
>> Dectalk SAPI being referenced was developed by Fonix. It was provided to
>> myself and Snoopi years ago by someone on condition of anonymousness. So,
>> even if Fonix had not gone bankrupt a year or so ago, contacting them
>> about fixing the Dectalk 4.63 SAPI would serve no purpose. Snoopi and I
>> have always thought of the 4.63 SAPI as a beta because of the limited
>> singing ability. Apparently Beta is still an apt term. Since the Dectalk
>> speak windows can sing and accept commands like define voice, I suggest
>> using one of those such as 4.40 or 4.3.
>>
>> My apologies for such a long email. It is lengthy because in my mind
>> sufficient explanation is warranted. This self-created term paper is now
>> complete.
>>
>> Blake
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> *From:*Dectalk [mailto:dectalk-bounces at bluegrasspals.com] *On Behalf Of
>> *Johnathan Velick via Dectalk
>> *Sent:* Saturday, July 18, 2015 7:56 PM
>> *To:* DECtalk
>> *Cc:* Johnathan Velick
>> *Subject:* Re: [DECtalk] DECTalk 5 (Sapi) Thank you, and please help
>>
>> Really? I had assumed Bluegrasspals was affiliated with Flameofhope. At
>> any rate, the zip directory is here.
>> <http://theflameofhope.co/dectalkreader1/>
>>
>> It does not use the actual DECTalk software but through the folder "sapi"
>> there is a .msi download so that the Text To Speech Application may work
>> with the DECTalk Voices installed, and afaik it uses a dictionary file to
>> work with phonemes, as the phonetic code as I mentioned before works but
>> not design voice or other voice commands (as in the ones used to change
>> between the voice presets Paul, Betty, Harry, Rita, etc).
>>
>> I'm assuming the entire source code is inside these files but I don't know
>> how to access them to make them work with the TTSA software.
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 18, 2015 at 6:38 PM, Blake Roberts via Dectalk
>> <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com <mailto:dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>> wrote:
>>
>> Johnathan, I am also wondering where you obtained Dectalk 5.0. As far as I
>> know it isn't on the Internet. Since this list does not have its own web
>> site for downloading files, I'm not sure where you obtained it.
>>
>> Blake
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> *From:*Dectalk
>> [mailto:<mailto:dectalk-bounces at bluegrasspals.com>dectalk-bounces at bluegrasspals.com
>> <mailto:dectalk-bounces at bluegrasspals.com>] *On Behalf Of *Mohamed via Dectalk
>> *Sent:* Saturday, July 18, 2015 6:34 PM
>> *To:* DECtalk
>> *Cc:* Mohamed
>> *Subject:* Re: [DECtalk] DECTalk 5 (Sapi) Thank you, and please help
>>
>> Hmm? Where is that located? I'd be interested in trying it.
>>
>> On 07/18/15 05:26 PM, Johnathan Velick via Dectalk wrote:
>>
>>> Hi, I've been a fan of DECTalk ever since I've heard of it and it was
>>> only today that I found version 5 from you guys, which I prefer over the
>>> 4.40 demo I had been using before. The standard text editor options
>>> really help too.
>>>
>>> But I've noticed that while the phonemes and singing work, the tones,
>>> dials, design voice and other advanced options don't work within the TTS
>>> app like they did in the 4.40 program. This is bothersome because I've
>>> dug through the files and I found a guide that lists these features and
>>> how to access them in the program, but to no avail. May I have installed
>>> the package wrong? The app didn't initially come with the DECTalk voices
>>> or dictionary files but they were downloadable within a folder in the zip
>>> from your website.
>>>
>>> It would also help if I could resize the application window and use the
>>> enter key (without ctrl) to automatically read the text field. And the
>>> DECTalk US voices are at the bottom of the drop-down and I have to select
>>> it each time because that's how it runs by default, which is also irritating.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Dectalk mailing list
>>> Dectalk at bluegrasspals.com <mailto:Dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
>>> http://bluegrasspals.com/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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-- 
Have a good day,
Tony Baechler
tony at baechler.net