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Subject: Re: What constitutes a clone?

Author: Dann Corbit

Date: 21:13:53 02/15/05

Go up one level in this thread


On February 15, 2005 at 23:26:12, Uri Blass wrote:

>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?
>>
>>---
>
>The only simple solution is to change the rules and decide that everything is
>allowed here and every code that is published is simply the public domain
>and you cannot publish code without making it the public domain.

Will this rule also need to be applied to books and magazine articles?

>A lot of chess programs copied something from another program(even if it is only
>a function to check the time in the clock) and by your definition I am afraid
>that more than 90% of the programs are clones but I  do not think that they will
>be considered as clones by most people.
>
>All the discussion pushes me to think that maybe the simple solution is the best
>inspite of the disadvantages of it.
>I do not like a situation when it is not clear what is legal and what is
>illegal.

I think it is not difficult to get permission to use something.

I think it is not difficult to rewrite most chess algorithms from first
principles.

I think it is not difficult to give credit to the original authors.



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