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From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Message-Id: <199605172016.NAA20568@phaeton.artisoft.com>
Subject: Re: xircom hardware specs
To: gpalmer@freebsd.org (Gary Palmer)
Date: Fri, 17 May 1996 13:16:23 -0700 (MST)
Cc: babkin@hq.icb.chel.su, nate@sri.MT.net, kevin@NDA.COM,
        freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
In-Reply-To: <10293.832308206@palmer.demon.co.uk> from "Gary Palmer" at May 17, 96 05:43:26 am
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> > But it's possible to take say BSDI driver, disassemble it and make the specs
> > publically available.
> 
> Reverse engineering isn't legal everywhere :-)

And importing the results of locally illegal reverse engineering
is generally illegal everywhere reverse engineering is illegal.

A clean room recoding from software without a legally binding
license is about the only exception.  Technically, shrink-wrap
licensing would probably apply here unless you went to court
over whether implied contracts were illegal.

If you do, make sure you do it before some of the pending legislation
that is following on the heels of the CDA (legislation which intends
to make shrink-wrap licensing legally binding).


					Terry Lambert
					terry@lambert.org
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.