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Subject: Re: What constitutes a clone?

Author: Lance Perkins

Date: 18:54:10 02/15/05

Go up one level in this thread


Just a follow-up.

Let's also say that you even modified all the names of the characters of the
novel in chapter 1 from English-sounding names to Mexican-sounding names.

On February 15, 2005 at 21:49:45, Lance Perkins wrote:

>Consider this scenario:
>
>You saw someone else's code, then you went out and wrote your own code, which
>ended up to be like the other code.
>
>Even in this scenario, you could be violating the copyright of the other code.
>
>The only way around this is with the 'clean room' approach. If you want to make
>a similar or compatible code, you should have not seen the other person's code.
>Instead, somebody else would see it, describe to you what it does, then you go
>and write the code.
>
>So, in all the cases where you stated that you took crafty's code and modifed
>potions of it, it is considered a clone.
>
>Let me go back to my novel example:
>
>Assuming someone has written a 12-chapter novel. You then went and copied the
>1st chapter, and then with your own ideas, you wrote chapters 2 to 12 which is
>your very own original story. Can you submit this new novel to a publisher and
>claim it as your own work?
>
>---
>
>On February 15, 2005 at 18:38:43, John Merlino wrote:
>
>>I'm not trying to start a brutally long thread here, but I'm just curious about
>>how people feel about a particularly touchy subject -- clones. What, in your
>>mind, would lead you to the conclusion that an engine is a clone?
>>
>>Let's forget trying to find ways to PROVE that a clone is a clone; I'm just
>>trying to define one. For the sake of argument, assume that the author of this
>>engine in question tells you exactly what he did and did not do, and you must
>>decide whether to call it a clone or not.
>>
>>Here are some hypothetical questions to start the debate:
>>
>>If the author took Crafty and completely rewrote the evaluation code and nothing
>>else, would it be a clone?
>>
>>How about if the author rewrote the evaluation code and search algorithm only,
>>but left the hashing code, et. al.?
>>
>>How about if the author rewrote everything EXCEPT for the evaluation?
>>
>>How about if the author rewrote everything EXCEPT for Crafty's evaluation of
>>passed pawns?
>>
>>I think you can see where I'm driving. Obviously, many engine authors have
>>studied Crafty and other engines whose authors have graciously provided their
>>source code. But, for an engine to not be considered a clone, does it have to be
>>absolutely 100% the work of the author? (Forget about Nalimov's EGTB probing
>>code and any other code that can be used with permission).
>>
>>Many thanks in advance for your thoughts,
>>
>>jm (who's just preparing for any eventuality during his upcoming stint as
>>moderator :-)



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