Mark Wielaard wrote:
> When you have not agreed to a license/contract the publisher can not
> force you to do or don't do anything with the information. You can
> use the ideas for everything you want as long as you don't violate
> the copyright by directly copying large portions and distributing them
> to others.
Sun is taking the stance that copyright on specifications prohibits
implementation of these specifications w/o a license. In their view,
they own the specification/API/function names and signatures, thus
they can restrict use. This leaves you with two alternatives:
a) you do not know the API and thus can't implement it anyway
b) you know the API but can't implement it w/o explicit permission
To my understanding, this is the basis of Sun's lawsuit against MS.
I guess it is also the reason why ISO and ECMA did not work out. I am
pretty amazed that ORA agreed to publish books from a company whose
strategy threatens the very foundations of free software: the right
to do clean room implementations of published specifications.
http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-07-1999/jw-07-idgns-lawsuit.html
b.
--
"Problem solving is hunting. It is savage pleasure,
and we are born to it." Thomas Harris, Silence of the Lambs
