Author_Institution :
Graham & James, Washington, DC, USA
Abstract :
It is a settled rule of US, Japanese, and European copyright law that the copyright laws do not protect ideas embodied in a copyrighted work. Rather, copyright law protects only the way ideas are expressed in words, drawings, and the like. Applying this body of law to disassembly of object code in a ROM, diskette, or tape may be problematical. A trade secret case (or breach of contract case) could act as an effective substitute for a copyright infringement action.<>
Keywords :
industrial property; legislation; program diagnostics; European copyright law; ROM; breach of contract; copyright infringement; diskette; expression of ideas; misdeed; object code disassembly; tape; trade secret; Boats; Books; Circuits; Intellectual property; Lamps; Patent law; Poles and zeros; Protection; Transfer functions;
