Re: MS Office 12 format

[John Hasler <jhasler@debian.org>]

Ron Johnson writes:
> Can MSFT ROT13 the schema, and claim that that is "a technological
> protection measure"?

Not likely.  Only _effective_ measures[1] are protected.  From the DMCA:

  Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(A), a person who has
  lawfully obtained the right to use a copy of a computer program may
  circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a
  particular portion of that program for the sole purpose of identifying
  and analyzing those elements of the program that are necessary to achieve
  interoperability of an independently created computer program with other
  programs, and that have not previously been readily available to the
  person engaging in the circumvention, to the extent any such acts of
  identification and analysis do not constitute infringement under this
  title.

I don't know where they get the bit about asking permission.


[1] Which is silly, because if the measures were effective, how could they
    be circumvented?
-- 
John Hasler