>I have not been able to find any copyright (or indeed copyleft) notices
>in the usual expect distribution. Would you be able to clarify our position.


Sorry to delay in responding.  I sent your request to my management
and they had to discuss it (if they didn't, there would be no reason
to pay them).  While they continue to discuss it, I can tell you
informally the gist of what they will eventually say:

You are allowed to do just about anything with Expect.  You can even
sell it.  You need not ask our permission.  You need not pay for it.
(It is my understanding that your tax dollars, in effect, already have
paid for it.)

You cannot claim that you wrote it (since this would be a lie), nor
can you attempt to copyright it (this would be fruitless as it is a
work of the US government and therefore not subject to copyright).

NIST would appreciate any credit you can give for this work.  One line
may suffice (as far as I'm concerned) although there should be
something to the effect that this software was produced for research
purposes.  No warantee, guarantee, liability is implied.

My management would appreciate it if you sent a letter on your company
letterhead suitably praising Expect and briefly describing how it has
helped your business.  Send this to the following individuals:

Arati Prabhakar, Director
NIST
Admin Bldg, Rm A-1134
Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Mike Wozny, Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory
NIST
Bldg 220, Rm B-322
Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Howard Bloom, Manufacturing Systems Integration Division
NIST
Bldg 220, Rm A-127
Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Steve Ray, Information Dissemination Group
NIST
Bldg 220, Rm A-127
Gaithersburg, MD 20899

In case you're wondering about the uninformative titles, Arati is the
directory of all of NIST (about 3000 people) and Steve (way down there
at the bottom) is my immediate supervisor (and of 7 other people).

If you feel more indebted than a letter can express, your company can
sign a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) with
NIST.  This is a contract that can be customized as you like.
Typically, CRADA's state that we give you explicit permission to
distribute or commercialize our code, and that we are willing not to
divulge any company secrets you tell us.  CRADA's can also state
that we will share further developments with you, or that you are
giving us money or software, or even just sending us bugs, fixes and
experiences.

These contracts are looked upon by Congress as an indication that we
are helping American industry (i.e., doing our job).  Even though they
seem vague and almost pointless, they essentially are brownie points
for NIST when it comes to asking for funding from Congress each year.

I hope this has answered your questions.  Let me know if you have
further questions.