On Tuesday 03 October 2006 02:56, Tim Schmidt wrote: > On 10/2/06, Marcus Meissner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > We can't, this kind of circumvention is likely to be illegal in the US. > > The relevant portion of the DMCA reads as follows: > (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c105:6:./temp/~c105bzNC4v:e11559:) > > `(2) No person shall manufacture, import, offer to the public, > provide, or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, > device, component, or part thereof, that-- > > `(A) is primarily designed or produced for the purpose of > circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access > to a work protected under this title; > > `(B) has only limited commercially significant purpose or > use other than to circumvent a technological measure that effectively > controls access to a work protected under this title; or > > `(C) is marketed by that person or another acting in > concert with that person with that person's knowledge for use in > circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access > to a work protected under this title. > > I believe we don't match A, B, or C. Further, > > `(f) REVERSE ENGINEERING- (1) 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. > > `(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a)(2) and > (b), a person may develop and employ technological means to circumvent > a technological measure, or to circumvent protection afforded by a > technological measure, in order to enable the identification and > analysis under paragraph (1), or for the purpose of enabling > interoperability of an independently created computer program with > other programs, if such means are necessary to achieve such > interoperability, to the extent that doing so does not constitute > infringement under this title. > > `(3) The information acquired through the acts permitted under > paragraph (1), and the means permitted under paragraph (2), may be > made available to others if the person referred to in paragraph (1) or > (2), as the case may be, provides such information or means solely for > the purpose of enabling interoperability of an independently created > computer program with other programs, and to the extent that doing so > does not constitute infringement under this title or violate > applicable law other than this section. > > Appears to grant specific permission for the kinds of work the Wine > devs need to do. > > --tim
Part 3 Applies, however it could be read as being permissible for the purpose of implementing a compatible interface. IE for the purpose of making the copy protection work under Wine. I think it would be much safer to make the protection work from a circumvention point of view. Bob