Subject:
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RE: License agreement nuances
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Tue, 1 Dec 1998 20:55:27 GMT
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Original-From:
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Eric Hodges <[eric.hodges@]IHateSpam[platinum.com]>
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Viewed:
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2558 times
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-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Stormont [SMTP:brian@projo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 1998 9:23 AM
To: lego
Subject: License agreement nuances
Tim L Casey wrote:
> Kekoa Proudfoot wrote:
> > The issue at stake is not the copyright. It's the license agreement.
>
> The issue of the license agreement does state one is not given
> permission
> to reverse engineer 'the Software'. The software is defined as 'The
> Software
> included on the MINDSTORMS LEGOI product'. I read this as including the
> firmware.
>
> That being said, I do believe one is not allowed to reverse engineer
> any peice of SW on the LEGO brick, CD, or any of their little stupid
> code which is compiled and run by their brick.
But, if you read further, the License Agreement also says you may "use the
Software on any single computer" and you may "use the Software on a second
computer so long as the first and second computers are not used
simultaneously". If the Software (with a capital S) is said to include the
RCX firmware, too, then we are ALL in violation if we have the RCX running
around the room while simultaneously working on the win95 Mindstorms
development environment, since it is being used simultaneously on two
computers (the RCX brick and the win95 machine). Unfortunately, TLG didn't
include a definition of what constitutes a computer. Perhaps we can start
a
thread on that. (*duck*)
I don't believe this is true. The code executing on the RCX can't execute
on the PC and vice versa. The RCX code executes on one CPU, the PC code
executes on another. There are 2 pieces of software covered by one
agreement.
Based on the agreement wording, I assume they are referring to the
conventional PC software running on win95.
The wording clearly states that "the Software" includes all software in the
Mindstorms package.
Again, my dispute is not with whether the firware is software. It doesn't
really matter. The dispute is whether reverse-engineering the firmware is
forbidden by the License Agreement. Based on my reading of it, it is not.
All the bullet points in the "Grant of License" section appear to refer to
conventional PC-based software.
Amusingly enough, the Agreement concludes by saying this: "This Agreement
may not be modified except in writing duly signed by an authorized
representative of the LEGO Group and you." Funny, I don't recall signing
this original agreement, and yet is supposed to be considered binding? (we
could start another thread on that topic, too...;-)
These license agreements are refered to as "shrinkwrap" agreements because
you agree to them by opening the shrinkwrap. You don't have to sign
anything.
I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, and I don't think Lego cares if
you reverse engineer their software (as long as you don't distribute the
results in any way), but I don't want anyone to convince themselves that
the agreement provides a legal loophole.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | RE: License agreement nuances
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| Eric Hodges writes: > These license agreements are refered to as "shrinkwrap" agreements because > you agree to them by opening the shrinkwrap. You don't have to sign > anything. > > I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, and I don't think Lego (...) (26 years ago, 1-Dec-98, to lugnet.robotics)
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