*BSD News Article 64264


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From: Stuart Cheshire <cheshire@cs.stanford.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.apps,comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Why to not buy Matrox Millennium
Date: 24 Mar 1996 21:08:50 GMT
Organization: Stanford University
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In article <4j3v64$1rq@virtech.aib.com> David E. Wexelblat,
dwex@aib.com writes:
>1) It's illegal.
>2) You will make no friends in the XFree86[TM] community by doing so.  We
>   will do all in our power to stop you.

Are you sure it's illegal to reverse engineer code for the purpose of
achieving compatibility?

I thought this had been pretty clearly settled, under the "must-fit
parts" rule. In it's original (pre-computer) from, the "must-fit
parts" rule says that if Ford puts a funny left-hand thread on their
wheel nuts so that standard wheels don't fit their cars, then wheel
manufacturers are allowed to "reverse-engineer" the screw thread size
so that they can make wheels which will fit, and Ford can't do
anything to stop them.

Can you cite any legal precedent to the contrary?

Stuart Cheshire <cheshire@cs.stanford.edu>
 * <A HREF="http://ResComp.Stanford.EDU/~cheshire">Web Page</A>
 * Stanford Operating Systems and Networking Group Research Assistant
 * Stanford Residential Computing Associate
 * Macintosh Programmer