27 Jan
2006
27 Jan
'06
10:29 a.m.
We know of four developers who have had access to
leaked sources prior
to working on ReactOS and while they no longer have copies of the
source code in question, each of the developers have told us in
private which sections of the sources they were exposed to. As such
the project has amending the IP document as a fourth step of
protection
4) any developer that had access to leaked sources is
baned from
contributing code to the project for any of the modules that are the
same as leaked sources they examined.
So to clarify that, lets say someone saw some of the
leaked Windows
source code in version.dll, then they would be unable to contribute
code to the ReactOS project for that dll.
It is our hope that a court case will arise and
declare Microsoft's
Windows code is no longer under Trade Secret protection so these
developers who did have access to some of the leaked sources will be
free to contribute again to all sections of the project.
Steven,
I can't sign this point 4) and your hope for some court case. The rule doesn't
go far enough. You know the vote about this point was only a vote by majority.
To be sure to avoid any legal problems, anyone who had access to
the leaked code should not contribute anything to at least that parts,
which are covered by the leaked source code. This covers any area
of the leaked code - just to be sure. Of course it would be better to
abstain from that developer completely.
In my mind it's not important if there has been some court order.
I can remember quite clear the time, when the news about the leaked
Windows source code came up. The advice at Wine and also here
was to _not_ look at those code in any case. Who did it nevertheless
should have known what he did. At least in my mind it's only allowed
to look at some code if the author (in this case Microsoft) permitted it.
Be there a valid juridical trade secret or not... Work derived from such
illegitimate looks should be avoided in a free implementation of
Windows at any means.
Regards,
Martin