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Rubes_sw
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Joined: 11 Jun 2001
Posts: 625
Location: Northern Ireland
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 Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 1:20 pm Post subject: Legal Issue ! |
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I want to release a program i have made in VDS4.5 but i want to know if there are any legal issues first !
The program is called: Resource Extractor ver: 1.0
Bascily it will read VDS resource files ONLY !. It analiyises them and informs you how they are made up.
Eg. There are 10 bitmaps, 670 Words etc.
It then gives you the choice of extracting all or some of the packed files to external files.
I made this because i have a few resource files for my programs and i have lost the map for them.
Any one any comments?
Nathan |
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LiquidCode
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Joined: 05 Dec 2000
Posts: 1753
Location: Space and Time
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| Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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I wouldn't see why that would be a problem. I too have DSR files that I
would like to get the resource from because I have lost the original
bitmap. Are you going to make it freeware or shareware?
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Chris
Http://theblindhouse.com |
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Hortalonus
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Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 344
Location: Western USA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| I agree... shouldn't be any legal problems with it. Sounds like a very handy utility. Nice idea! |
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cnodnarb
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Joined: 11 Sep 2002
Posts: 766
Location: Eastman, GA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2003 12:45 am Post subject: |
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Such a tool would be awesome!
I don't see any legal issues at all actually...the question is what the user does with extracted materials not what extracted them. If someone extracts copyrighted materials using your software and redistributed them in their own project that is there problem/legal issue...not yours.
Microangelo is a icon extractor and although people may have gotten in trouble for illegal use of extracted icons i've never heard of Impact Software being in any legal trouble over making such a program.
Brandon "NodNarb" Cunningham |
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Garrett
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Posts: 2149
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| Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2003 1:56 am Post subject: |
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Just like the Gun didn't kill the person shot, the person holding the gun
killed the person shot.
-Garrett |
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Rubes_sw
Valued Contributor
Joined: 11 Jun 2001
Posts: 625
Location: Northern Ireland
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| Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2003 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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Good to see there is no legal issues 
I will be releasing the first version of this product soon, i have a few bugs to work out, a help file to write and a logo to design.
By the way the Resource Extractor will be FREEWARE !
Nathan |
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Mac
Professional Member
Joined: 08 Jul 2000
Posts: 1585
Location: Oklahoma USA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2003 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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You should consult an attorney for advice in legal matters.
This is a VDS programming forum and does not sanction nor
accept responsibility for legal advice or suggestions given by
members.
Cheers, Mac 
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Free download (30k dll size) at:
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Rubes_sw
Valued Contributor
Joined: 11 Jun 2001
Posts: 625
Location: Northern Ireland
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| Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2003 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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Taken Mac's advice:
| Quote: | You should consult an attorney for advice in legal matters.
This is a VDS programming forum and does not sanction nor
accept responsibility for legal advice or suggestions given by
members.
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I did a bit of research and came up with this:
I got this from a white paper published in 1996 by Dr. Jamal L. Cromity, Texas USA.
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Re: Intellectual Property & Software Extraction
Intellectual Property is defined as an original creation. A software application that is desgined for Software Extraction either from Executable or a resource configuration is a very grey area. The legal issues are:
1. The software author of the said program can be legally implicated as having supplied a means to extract resources which are convered by Intellectual Property rights.
2. The end user using the said program also can be legally implicated by decompiling of extracting and using the resource.
**********************************************************************
I have decided not to conintue with Resource Extractor and i will not publish it for users to use. Just in case 
Nathan
I know it was a good idea, but I don't want any hassle. |
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FreezingFire
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Joined: 23 Jun 2002
Posts: 3508
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| Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2003 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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You could make it open source and claim no liability for it; source code is
source code. 
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FreezingFire
VDSWORLD.com
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Hortalonus
Valued Contributor
Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 344
Location: Western USA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2003 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Rubes_sw wrote: |
Re: Intellectual Property & Software Extraction
Intellectual Property is defined as an original creation. A software application that is desgined for Software Extraction either from Executable or a resource configuration is a very grey area. The legal issues are:
1. The software author of the said program can be legally implicated as having supplied a means to extract resources which are convered by Intellectual Property rights.
2. The end user using the said program also can be legally implicated by decompiling of extracting and using the resource.
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Hmmm... interesting.
| FreezingFire wrote: |
You could make it open source and claim no liability for it; source code is
source code.
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@FreezingFire: yeah, but unfortunately source code isn't always seen as just source code. Posting the source code for DeCSS was what got Jon Johansen in trouble. It shouldn't be that way, but if some big corporation with some big gun lawyers wants to, they will try and make posting source code look like trying to lift the Crown Jewels!
| Rubes_sw wrote: |
I have decided not to conintue with Resource Extractor and i will not publish it for users to use. Just in case...
I know it was a good idea, but I don't want any hassle.
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@Rubes_sw: it's better than good, it's a sweet idea... perhaps you could discuss the 'theory' involved in resource extraction and some of your thoughts on different methods of doing so (identifying types of files, etc.), for educational purposes, of course. If some us got ambitious and decided to code our own 'proof of concept' example, why you certainly could not be held responsible for that. |
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FreezingFire
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Joined: 23 Jun 2002
Posts: 3508
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| Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2003 12:09 am Post subject: |
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Excellent! That would be a much better alternative... I hadn't thought
of that.
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FreezingFire
VDSWORLD.com
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