Re: SDK header translations licensing?

> > That means you are allowed to reverse engineer them, not that you base
> > on copyrighted documents. (headers)
> 
> That is not true. You are _not_ allowed to reengineer if documentation or an
> other interface is available.

Define "available". 

However that (binary checking) is not the kind of reverse engineering I
mean. I meant more checking source of example applications under a free
license, or publically published code.

This is done e.g. for the basic win32 headers (windows unit) by mingw/cygwin. The FPC
Windows unit bases on these headers.

> Otherwise decompiling every software would be allowed - it is not. There
> is documentation available on how to interact with Microsoft Office
> therefor I wouldn't even bother about decompiling them.

Bother and allowed is different. Moreover, see the earlier example. If I
want to use e.g. apps that plug in to MS Office with other Offices, you run
into these problems.
 
> You also missed the part that there are lawyers who believe that headers can
> not be copyrighted at all for several reasons - e.g. a header file is
> interface documentation and therefor can not be protected by copyright law.
> As always two lawyers - three opinions :-)  Sue someone if you want to know
> it for sure...

I've heard the argument you cite above too, however to my knowledge this has never
been tested. I'm in the business of making programs, not in the legal precedent setting
business.

The other way (basing on code that is really public) is afaik a true tested way to find the
interface. 

> > > 2) Publishing stuff to access a library etc. implies that it is the
> official
> > > interface to the library and therefor can be used by anyone so they can
> > > access the library. This includes the right to translate that stuff to
> other
> > > programming languages.
> >
> > For own use. Not publically distributing.
> 
> If a header file is considered information about the interface it can not be
> protected.

If you entered into an legal agreement to obtain the headers, e.g. by means
of EULA, it can. 

> With regard to decompiled stuff, yes and no. The law allows
> exceptions. Nonetheless it is open for interpretion how far these exceptions
> go.

I wouldn't like to be a guinea pig. We got one cease and desist from Borland
(regarding TV code which was promptly removed), and I like to keep it like
that.


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