On Tue, 8 Aug 2006, David Powers wrote:
What is the legal status of a program that mimics another programs functions, but does not copy any of the actual source code or guts?
Morally, I consider that this is a god-given right.
Traditionally it has pretty much been a right (think about what the USA Constitution says about intellectual property). However this system has drifted over the years: I think I remember laws forbidding "reverse engineering", but also, the DMCA is the biggest example. OTOH there are rulings that specifically say that interfaces can't be copyrighted or otherwise encumbered, and I would believe that this extends to imitation of a complete program. (There were also some rulings on similar topics in opposite direction... this may depend on who the judge happened to be each time)
I suppose in this case, asking permission would be a simple courtesy?
No, it would be lame, weak and wimpy to do so: copying an interface is not a privilege, so you should not treat it as one, lest you encourage people to treat it as one. It should be a right. Don't ask permission. Just inform that you are going to make a clone and say thanks for coding the originals and fax him a bouquet of flowers, but don't ask permission.
_ _ __ ___ _____ ________ _____________ _____________________ ... | Mathieu Bouchard - tél:+1.514.383.3801 - http://artengine.ca/matju | Freelance Digital Arts Engineer, Montréal QC Canada