[MUD-Dev] DCMA -- another weapon in the fight against Emulators

[bruce at cubik.org]

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Original message: http://www.kanga.nu/archives/MUD-Dev-L/2002Q1/msg00560.php

On Fri, 22 Feb 2002 00:25:44 -0800 (PST)
"Frank Crowell" <frankc at maddog.com> wrote:

> Once again the DCMA is being dragged out as a weapon against an
> emulator project. This time it's Blizzard against Bnet. I suppose
> the courts are no longer supporting emulator and reverse
> engineering projects.  I remember at time when the semiconductor
> companies were routinely "reverse engineering" each other.  The
> only time you could catch the other side was if you put in dummy
> circuits and then saw it reproduced in another company's chip.
> The usually practice -- to speed up reverse engineering -- was to
> steal the tape with the designs or even better still the lithos.
 
> I thought part of the agreement of the DCMA was that the copyright
> holder had to show what and how their content was being used in
> violation of the copyright act.  Some people thought the DCMA was
> suppose to give a little breathing room for the use of copyright
> content.  So far, it looks like a big choke hold for some
> companies.

> Anyway, here is the link
 
>   http://slashdot.org/articles/02/02/21/0136256.shtml?tid=3D127

You may find the following interesting:

  http://research.yale.edu/lawmeme/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=149

That's a legal analysis of the situation and eventually ends with:

   "It seems pretty clear that even if bnetd is a circumvention
   device, then it clearly falls under the exemption of 1201(f)(2),
   since any circumvention is only for the purpose of achieving
   interoperability between bnetd and the Blizzard game. Such
   interoperability does not constitute infringement, since it does
   not violate sections 106-118 or 602."

But do read the whole thing. :)

I'm not a lawyer, so I cant speak to the accuracy or general
usefulness of that URL of course.

 - Bruce

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