Re: I want to try something for freedom.

["Paul Haesler" <paul@haesler.dyndns.org>]

Microsoft has never sued Tridge and co. over samba which
would seem to be a closer analogy - A reverse engineered
network protocol, as opposed to a cracked encryption
algorithm.

Mind you, I'm not a lawyer.  (Mind you, I don't think anybody else
who has contributed to date is either)

> Yes, but it is in every aspect similar to what the person who wrote
> the first letter in this thread wants to do or is advised to do,
> namely to reverse-engineer the operation of a working system which is
> developed only for win* and based on proprietary algorithms. That's
> exactly the same what the person writing the DeCSS has done. Hence the
> company creating the authentication software would probably sue the
> person writing the first letter and could expect that the result would
> be the same as the DeCSS lawsuit, and it is currently lost. If this
> happens before the DeCSS lawsuit is finished in the Supreme Court,
> then the result will be likely the same as the first stages of the
> DeCSS lawsuit, meaning probably lost.
> 
> This is only my two-pence of course, but I could not stand not to
> point out the similarities between the two situation.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Robert Varga
> 
> 
> On Thu, 2 Nov 2000, Alexander Hvostov wrote:
> 
> > Robert,
> > 
> > Keep in mind that case is in appeal, and is quite likely to wind up
> > in the Supreme Court. It is, in every way I can imagine, a
> > Constitutional case, and has every reason to be heard by the Supreme
> > Court. I hope the Supreme Court Justices agree...
> > 
> > Regards,
> > 
> > Alex.



--
Paul Haesler                    paul@haesler.dyndns.org

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur