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The more fundamental question here: can the DMCA really be used to prevent a person from factoring a number and disclosing the results? This is insanity.
by kwantam 17y ago
The more fundamental question here: can the DMCA really be used to prevent a person from factoring a number and disclosing the results? This is insanity.
- jcl 17y agoI'd guess that it can, if that number is being used to protect a copyrighted work. That sounds like exactly a situation that the DMCA was designed to make illegal.
- ars 17y agoIt's not though. It's protecting hardware, not software. It's not stopping copyright violation at all. It's preventing "unauthorized" software from running on the hardware. I simply don't see how the DMCA applies here. In fact I can't see how any copyright law at all applies here. No one is copying any code, they are running their own code. The key they found convinces the device to use their code.
- jcl 17y agoMy impression was that he was asking about factoring in general, not specifically in relation to the TI.
- rbanffy 17y agoNo, but yes. It's not that the number is being used to protect copyright - it's a signing key that prevents you from installing different software on your calculator. But yes. The DMCA has the provision about publishing DRM circumvention techniques and tools. This seems to be one. Stupid and unfair, BTW. TI is hurting itself more than its user base.
- monocasa 17y agoActually the DMCA has an exemption for allowing software interoperability. This sounds like exactly the situation that it was designed not to protect against.
- forinti 17y agoEven if they used something simple, such as rot13? That would be funny...
- mustpax 17y agoWell, people have been sued for breaking ROT13, no joke: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-116424.html?legacy=zdnn http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-116424.html?legacy=zdnn
- jrockway 17y agoFWIW, anyone can sue anyone for anything. And any prosecutor can dream up any charges he wants.