"Sec. 102. Subject matter of copyright: In general
(b) In no case does copyright protection for an original work of
authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of
operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which
it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work. "
Protocol = process, procedure, system, method of operation
>From my indications, the protocol itself can't be copyrighted. His code
can. Thus, you may reverse-engineer from observation, but if you use his
code he can control how.
> >COPYRIGHT 1992,93,94,95: The APRS formats are provided to all radio
> >amateurs for use in the amateur radio service. Anyone is encouraged
> >to apply the APRS formats in the TRANSMISSION of position, weather, and
> >status packets. However, the author reserves the ownership of these
> >protocols for exclusive commercial application and for all reception
> >and plotting applications. Other software engineers desiring to include
> >APRS RECEPTION in their software for sale within or outside of the
> >amateur community will require a license from the author. (very
> >reasonably priced)
>
> I have never even heard of a _protocol_ being copyright; the specification
> documents yes, but not the protocol itself.
>
> Are there other examples of someone claiming copyright of a protocol?
>
> Has an authoritative opinion (e.g., by a court) ever been expressed
> as to whether a protocol can be protected by copyright?
>
> Just wondering,
> -tjs
>
