PROMs and Copyrights...

[steve ravet]

One of Garfield's last posts to the list was a summary of a conversation
he had with his attorney and a patent attorney about reverse
engineering.  It's too long to reproduce here, but it's in the archives
right here:

http://efi332.eng.ohio-state.edu/diy_efi/archive/archive_num_100;lines=58166-58305

Bottom line is that the patent/copyright system is designed to protect
the inventions, while allowing others access to them, and allowing these
others to incrementally improve them.  While having their improvements
also protected.  

--steve

Mike wrote:
> 
> I know this is a stupid question and it's not directly EFI-related, but can
> someone educate me on the legalities, specifically, copyrights and
> software/firmware,  associated with reading OEM PROMs, "reverse engineering"
> them and even on "publishing" findings on, say, one's web page? Does reading
> the PROM not constitute making a copy of the firmware? Is this automatically
> "illegal"?