On May 5, 2005, at 7:45 PM, Tim Kelly wrote:

>
> Knowledge about hardware is categorized as "trade secrets" and is
> protected under the DMCA.  This allows Apple to release information
> about the hardware while protecting the licensing under which that
> knowledge is distributed.  The same DMCA prohibits"clean room" reverse
> engineering, although I'm not sure if this clause has been challenged 
> in
> court yet.  Usually the threat is sufficient enough to dry up 
> resources.
>

While reading this thread I remember how Compaq cloned the IBM PC ROM 
bios, inventing
the clone PC -- how they used 2 sets of programmers, 1 to examine the 
code via disassembling, who then produce a specification that the other 
set of programmers write... IF DMCA had existed then would be there be 
no clone PC's?