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Well a die design, just like code, is definitely some form of intellectual property and covered by copyright law. So I think a more fair comparison would be a p
by Ecco 4y ago
Well a die design, just like code, is definitely some form of intellectual property and covered by copyright law. So I think a more fair comparison would be a photo of an entire book.
- rwmj 4y agoIt might be a problem if the photo was reverse engineered into a schematic, which would also imply much more detail, but in this case it's just a photo of something cool.
- ekianjo 4y ago> Well a die design, just like code, is definitely some form of intellectual property and covered by copyright law. you can consume a book just by looking at it. You can't "read" a die-shot as easily.
- squarefoot 4y agoThe die design tells what parts are there, not their values or characteristics; cloning a chip just by looking at the die would require a lot more research.
- addaon 4y ago> is definitely some form of intellectual property and covered by copyright law I'm not sure if you meant to suggest that "some form of intellectual property" implies "covered by copyright law", but this is untrue in general, and untrue in this specific case. Copyright does not cover mask works; see [1] for discussion, from which quote: "Copyright law ONLY protects an original work of authorship IF the work is non-functional. But the etching designs on computer chips ARE functional." [1] https://revisionlegal.com/copyright/mask-works-101-copyright-protections-for-semiconductor-chip-products/ https://revisionlegal.com/copyright/mask-works-101-copyright...
- Taniwha 4y agoChip dies are covered by a special mask copyright law - you can actually see the M with a circle round it in this die photo (rather than the more traditional C with a circle)