Depending on the code and vendor it is either patented or a trade secret. Most of the time the code is protected because it is required by the patent law. Remem

Depending on the code and vendor it is either patented or a trade secret. Most of the time the code is protected because it is required by the patent law. Remember that a lot of chip companies you know from today, started their life as memory companies. There are also a lot of businesses that act as patent trolls , e.g. RAMBUS and stifle memory innovation by suing everyone left and right and enforcing their patents. Part of licensing agreement is to keep stuff secret and proprietary. Otherwise if you give something of value away for free, you can’t make money off of it anymore , can you?