I thought that precedents set in the law (in the USA at least) allowed for reverse-engineering.

As I recall, Atari tried to sue Activision for reverse-engineering the 2600 cartridge format and selling their own cartridges for what was supposed to be a proprietary, closed system. The court upheld Activision's rights and allowed them to continue making the cartridges. And didn't something similar happen with the Nintendo? In fact, isn't reverse-engineering considered a standard industry practice that's not only permitted, but encouraged as a way of maintaining a monopoly-free economy?

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Tony Fabris