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From: u27113@s853702 (Danny Backx)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy
Subject: Lesstif vs. the OSF/Motif copyright
Date: 3 May 1996 06:26:49 GMT
Organization: Kredietbank, Havenlaan 2, 1210 Brussel, Belgium
Lines: 53
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <4mc8v9$fob@s854803.kb.be>
References: <NELSON.96Apr15010553@ns.crynwr.com> <3176D081.794BDF32@FreeBSD.org> <4la318$ah3@sidhe.memra.com> <31794DB6.7DE974DF@lambert.org> <940@crane.ukc.ac.uk> <31866E12.67FD83BE@lambert.org> <4m8k99$o12@master.di.fc.ul.pt> <318978E8.14B8@vfr.interceptor.com>
Reply-To: u27113@kb.be
NNTP-Posting-Host: kb.be
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.system:22902 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:911 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:3636 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:3479 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:18619 comp.os.linux.advocacy:47854
Thumper!,
You wrote that, in your opinion, LessTif is in violation of the Motif
copyright.
X/Open pushlishes the OSF/Motif specs, which we (the LessTif core) bought.
Doesn't that allow us to build a Motif clone ?
Danny
--
Danny Backx, Kredietbank, Havenlaan 2, 1210 Brussel, Belgium
u27113@kb.be Tel. +32(2)422.74.57 Fax. +32(2)422.81.77
Thumper! <thumper@vfr.interceptor.com> wrote :
> Here's the way the law works for virtually every country:
>
> (caps are to emphasize key legal meanings)
>
> It's legal to reverse-engineer, decode, or otherwise get proprietary
(that is,
> unreleased) information FOR YOUR OWN USE WITH THE PRODUCT.
>
> It's legal for you to give that information to someone else who owns
the produ
ct.
>
> Even if you own the product, it is ILLEGAL for you to use that
information to
> engineer your own product, whether it be compatible or not (ie, using
the
> information to learn from is illegal as well).
>
> If anyone uses the information you reverse engineer (regardless of if
you've
> given them permission or not to have the information) to engineer
their own
> product (again, compatible or not), you can be held liable. A company
can
> legally sue YOU for damages and win, leaving you to collect from the
person th
at
> actually used the information in an illegal way.
>
> It is my educated belief (although I have NOT researched for weeks and
weeks)
> that Lesstif is, in fact, illegal and a violation of copyrights held
regarding
> Motif.
>