[techtalk] Re: DVD-ROM on Linux? (legal implications)

Steve Kudlak chromexa at ovis.net
Sun Dec 19 03:59:01 EST 1999



Kelly Lynn Martin wrote:

> On Sun, 19 Dec 1999 02:15:52 -0500, coder <coderman at mindspring.com> said:
>
> >You can play DVD's on linux / BSD / other systems with software
> >decoders.  These are not as efficient as hardware decrpytion
> >(obviously), but they do allow you to play the movies from hard disk
> >or other medium.
>
> Is that legal, though?  What's the terms on software implementations
> of the decoding algorithm?
>
> Kelly
>
> ************
> techtalk at linuxchix.org   http://www.linuxchix.org

<Warning this message below maybe sleep inducing skip if that is the case:)>
Steve(chromexa at ovis.net) replied:

It's patent law you are dealing with. And since this isn't legal tech:) I
will not post too much on it. Since you can't really patent ideas. That is
until they are cast into some implementation. But it is not the ideas, it is
the thing that is important. So you can read the ideas and write your own for
your own use. I see no problems with that.

There are several books that I have written from the "Intellectual Property
Owners" point of view and they cover all of this stuff. Like if one has
"intellectual property" like an algorithm, the old thing was to put it into
hardware. The software itself maybe protected by copyright. But the ideas are
not, so you can make your own,  play with it etc. In practice you can't use
it to "commit a crime". So in the case of say a chemical I can make it and
use it as long as I commit no crimes with it, or don't sell it to my
neighbour or anyone else for that matter. Giving it away is foggy, but may
not beyond the pale. It all turns on fussy "legal tech" details.

For fun do searches online for "reverse engineering" and "patent law" or if
you have access of can afford it. look at Westlaw. Also look into the fun,
when a certain religion tried to declare it's belief a "technology..."

Have Fun,
Sends Steve


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techtalk at linuxchix.org   http://www.linuxchix.org




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