Author: Uri Blass
Date: 21:39:08 02/15/05
Go up one level in this thread
On February 16, 2005 at 00:13:53, Dann Corbit wrote: >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? yes The first word of a book may be the same as another book with no problem. The same for the first 2 words. I do not see a simple solution to the question what is the minimal number of words that it is not allowed so the only way to have clear rules is to decide that every book that is published is the public domain and everyone can copy it and sell it. > >>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. The problem is that it is difficult to know what is allowed by the rules and when there are enough programmers 2 people may even write almost the same code to do the same task independently. Uri
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