On Tue, Jul 31, 2001 at 11:34:58AM +0200, Anders Lindback wrote:
You cant make a competing product using GPL. If you make a viewer you are then in violation and will have to spend time in jail. The only way for you to view the e-book is by buying the e-book viewer.
Yes, that is my main problem with this law. The way it is written it's not clear if a GPL'd reader is a "circumvention device" or not. In the US the judge decided that DeCSS is. I think it's not.
Anyway, my point in my previous message was that you can still reverse engineer and build a (free or non-free) program that competes with the original software that _creates_ the copy protected content.
By controlling the format they would get a monopoly in the market. It would have been better if the format was open so that anyone would be able to make a elektronik book and anyone might be able to make a viewer.
I agree entirely, unfortunatly that is a decision of the company that creates the format. I don't think most companies agree with us because they usually try to keep secret as much information as possible so that they have an advantage against the competition and can force the costumer to keep buying their products. We can lobby to create a law that makes it mandatory for companies to open all formats/protocols but I think it will be difficult. :)
Ruben Leote Mendes ruben@nocturno.org schrieb/wrote:
Anyway, my point in my previous message was that you can still reverse engineer and build a (free or non-free) program that competes with the original software that _creates_ the copy protected content.
You could also write reading software that does not allow to "circumvent" the copy protection.
Claus