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[oc] Re: CAN core



On Tue, Aug 20, 2002 at 03:50:58PM +0200, Richard Herveille wrote:
> > I'd say that's better
> >
> > I'l write to them on this issue
> >
> > So what I make out is that it would not matter if we make the core
> > but when some one uses it for commercial use they have to pay
> > Bosch for that
> 
> Yes. If you write a core (from scratch) based on freely available information 
> (like the I2C datasheet), you should be ok. But if you start 
> reverse-engineering something, you might get into trouble.

If there is a patent on some part of CAN (and it sounds like there is),
then it doesn't matter whether you reverse engineer something or build
it from publically available documentation.  Even when you've never
heard of CAN before and reinvent it, the patent still applies.

After all, it's the whole point of a patent to encourage publication of
technological methods (in exchange for protection of the invention).
Designing to spec doesn't circumvent it.

-- 
Andreas Bombe <bombe@informatik.tu-muenchen.de>    DSA key 0x04880A44
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