Re: Society's access to source code (was Re: KDE v. Gnome)

Article View: uk.comp.os.linux

Article #1442

#1442

From: PILCH Hartmut
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998 00:00

27 lines
3055 bytes

unruh@physics.ubc.ca (Bill Unruh) writes:

>In all other realms in which copyright is applied, the copyrighted item
>is free and open for inspection by anyone else. It is not a secret.
>software companies triy to use both copyright and trade secret for the
>self same item-- hiding the source and trying to forbid reverse
>engineering, while still claiming copyright protection.

When looking very closely, you may find a trade secret behind almost
every copyrighted work.  E.g. a traditional scientist would have his
internal card file / data base that is never published but serves as
the basis of his livelihood, being used to produce an everlasting
series of books, in which the data are scrambled into prose which makes
sure he gets his publication list prolonged without giving his trade
secret (and the academic position that is based on it) away.

The above is, of course, also a use of copyright that society shouldn't
encourage.  With software, whether this kind of abuse exists becomes easy to
determine.  You just have to look at the code that is delivered.  If it is
non-source and has anything to do with communication network interfaces,
i.e. limiting the choice of third parties other than buyer and seller, it
should not be granted any protection by the state.  I quite agree with you
and have been making my proposal under http://www.lrz.de/~phm/konkrefen.html

--
Hartmut Pilch
http://www.a2e.de/phm/

Technical Details

Message-ID: <F0CB7o.J1@a2e.de>

Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!unknown!not-for-mail

References:

<qj78u6.mf.ln@wog.interlog.com> <p5sohihlrc.fsf@baynetworks.com>  <Pine.SOL.3.91.980923105630.13773B-100000@howard>  <slrn70ic1k.97.homer_j_simpson@donut.dhis.org> <6uc2pk$jh1$5@blue.hex.net>  <873e9hret2.fsf@ivm.de> <6ufkfu$o96$1@taliesin.netcom.net.uk>  <87sohgzh44.fsf@ivm.de> <FWc39EA3TLD2Ewp3@dlsl.demon.co.uk>  <6uipd0$oj8$1@winter.news.erols.com> <87zpbmkhdn.fsf@ivm.de>  <kbCveHAOyWD2EwdN@dlsl.demon.co.uk>  <Pine.SOL.3.91.980927140803.10597B-100000@howard>  <m3af3knl8m.fsf@c26469-a.clnvl1.ct.home.com> <6up86o$t23$1@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>  <9nQpxDAYqKE2EwlY@dlsl.demon.co.uk> <6v0oet$avl$1@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>  <OHkl5KAObKF2EwIy@dlsl.demon.co.uk> <yq3ogrvc6kb.fsf_-_@nasrullah.tchden.org>  <x7Yq2RA8iWF2Ewt$@dlsl.demon.co.uk> <F0ArHE.1M9@a2e.de> <CGv2JQAhR7F2EwZs@dlsl.demon.co.uk> <6v8oge$ej0$1@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>

Show Full Headers

Complete Article Headers

X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: f4bda,4460b3faefba3773
X-Google-Attributes: gidf4bda,public
X-Google-Thread: 1103af,4460b3faefba3773
X-Google-Attributes: gid1103af,public
X-Google-Thread: 1025b4,942a0596db2b8174
X-Google-Attributes: gid1025b4,public
X-Google-Thread: 10d8ad,4460b3faefba3773
X-Google-Attributes: gid10d8ad,public
X-Google-Thread: fcfb9,942a0596db2b8174
X-Google-Attributes: gidfcfb9,public
From: phm@a2e.de (PILCH Hartmut)
Subject: Re: Society's access to source code (was Re: KDE v. Gnome)
Date: 1998/10/05
Message-ID: <F0CB7o.J1@a2e.de>
X-Deja-AN: 397894573
References: <qj78u6.mf.ln@wog.interlog.com> <p5sohihlrc.fsf@baynetworks.com>  <Pine.SOL.3.91.980923105630.13773B-100000@howard>  <slrn70ic1k.97.homer_j_simpson@donut.dhis.org> <6uc2pk$jh1$5@blue.hex.net>  <873e9hret2.fsf@ivm.de> <6ufkfu$o96$1@taliesin.netcom.net.uk>  <87sohgzh44.fsf@ivm.de> <FWc39EA3TLD2Ewp3@dlsl.demon.co.uk>  <6uipd0$oj8$1@winter.news.erols.com> <87zpbmkhdn.fsf@ivm.de>  <kbCveHAOyWD2EwdN@dlsl.demon.co.uk>  <Pine.SOL.3.91.980927140803.10597B-100000@howard>  <m3af3knl8m.fsf@c26469-a.clnvl1.ct.home.com> <6up86o$t23$1@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>  <9nQpxDAYqKE2EwlY@dlsl.demon.co.uk> <6v0oet$avl$1@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>  <OHkl5KAObKF2EwIy@dlsl.demon.co.uk> <yq3ogrvc6kb.fsf_-_@nasrullah.tchden.org>  <x7Yq2RA8iWF2Ewt$@dlsl.demon.co.uk> <F0ArHE.1M9@a2e.de> <CGv2JQAhR7F2EwZs@dlsl.demon.co.uk> <6v8oge$ej0$1@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>
Organization: Asia-Europa Sprachendienste Pilch und Wang
Newsgroups: uk.comp.os.linux,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.advocacy,gnu.misc.discuss

Reply to Parent Message