Archive for August, 2009
When is reverse engineering OK?
Copyrights protect expressions of ideas, but not the ideas themselves. Software can be reverse engineered to learn the ideas it embodies without violating the copyright, as long as the code is not copied and used commercially. The first lawsuit verdict that enforced this idea was Atari Games v. Nintendo in September 1992.
Posted By: zeidman in General on August 31st, 2009.
Tags: copyright, copyright infringement, intellectual property, reverse engineering, software, software analysis, software plagiarism, source code
Comments: 1
Key points about software copyrights
First, a copyright exists at the moment of creation. In other words, a work does not need to be published to have a copyright. The copyright does not need to be registered with the U.S. Copyright office. It is simply a right given to the person who created the work. The advantage of registering a copyright with the government is that you then have an official document proving your ownership, making it easier to win in court against someone who attempts to use your creation without your permission.
Posted By: zeidman in General on August 1st, 2009.
Tags: copyright, intellectual property, object code, software, software analysis, software plagiarism, source code
Comments: none