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List:       wine-devel
Subject:    Re: Reproducing Windows APIs feasible, Gates said
From:       Duncan Simpson <dps () io ! stargate ! co ! uk>
Date:       2000-11-23 22:35:34
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You might like to know that th EU explicitly states the APIs
are *not subject to copyright*. Bill Gates the US government
can not do anything about this major problem with their
claim of copyright on the windows API. The EU does allow M$'s
*implementation* to be protected by copyright.

They also might find a large problem with any attempt to restirct
reverse engineering because there is another right too---reverse
engineering for interopatinility purposes is an abolsute *right*.
No legal manovers can remove it.

Of course attempting to do illegal things and kidding people into
believing them is a well tested pactice. M$ can not deny my rights
under the sale of goods and services act. They can not enforce
"by openning this envelope you agree to these conditions", which is
and always has been illegal.

There is no shortage of stupid politicians in the EU but at least
they are less suspectable to bribery by big business. The DMCA or
similar has no chance of getting anywhere here and I doubt shrink
wrap licences will be enforcable either (much of them is currently
legally null and void, see the common wording example above).

P.S. In case you are wondering there are genuine limits to what
people are allowed to spend on getting themselves elected (and
in the UK serious limits on various sorts of donations).

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