On Wed, 2005-07-27 at 05:50 -0400, Carl Fink wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 27, 2005 at 12:47:45AM -0500, Ron Johnson wrote:
> > On Tue, 2005-07-26 at 23:03 -0500, John Hasler wrote:
> > > Ron Johnson writes:
> > > > Also, they may not distribute the schema, and thus make it a DMCA
> > > > violation to reverse-engineer said schema.
> > >
> > > That doesn't follow at all.
> >
> > Why not?
>
> DMCA makes it a crime to break encryption, not necessarily to
> reverse-engineer file formats. MS would have to specifically define
> their file format as encrypted, in my non-lawyer's understanding, to
> invoke DMCA.
http://www.chillingeffects.org/reverse/faq.cgi#QID209
A person may reverse engineer the lawfully acquired computer
program ... The reverse engineer is required to ask permission
first, however.
Since IANAL, the full ramifications of the DMCA ellude me, and sound
slightly contradictory.
Can MSFT ROT13 the schema, and claim that that is "a technological
protection measure"?
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Ron Johnson, Jr.
Jefferson, LA USA
PGP Key ID 8834C06B I prefer encrypted mail.
"I prefer the most unfair peace to the most righteous war."
Marcus T Cicero
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