Re: copy protection - was: Re: Is it time for playing games on WINE?

[Steven Edwards]

Hiya Lionel,

--- Lionel Ulmer <lionel.ulmer(a)free.fr> wrote:
>   On Fri, Nov 07, 2003 at 10:32:02AM +0000, Mike Hearn
> wrote:
> >   Lionel, could QEMU be used here? I guess the
> > driver expects to have
> >  kernel level access to the machine, so we could either: 
>  
>  Well, as I have no idea how .SYS loading working and how it
>  interfaces with
>  the kernel, I cannot comment here.
>  
>  Note that a low level kernel presentation by ReactOS people would be
>  a nice
>  thing to have at Wineconf :-) 
We will see what we can put together for wineconf =) 

I have been following this thread for a while so I have to speak up
about the DMCA issues you guys have been discussing.

It is in the ReactOS Projects interest to have a working safedisk
driver also so we might be able to work together on something. There
has been work at loading Windows filesystem drivers using ReactOS in
the past so I dont see safedisk being that big of a deal.

http://www.jankratochvil.net/project/captive/

Copying the safedisk driver from Windows and loading it in ReactOS
should just work as we have the same design microsoft does. Adapting
that to work on Linux+ReactOS you would need to talk to Jan.

Still the better method is for us to write our own safedisk driver from
scratch but I am not sure that this wont violate the DMCA. 

IMHO the WINE project should adopt the defence the xbox-linux and the
ReactOS projects have:
"Everything done on this project is for the sole purpose of writing
interoperable software under Sect. 1201 (f) Reverse Engineering
exception of the DMCA."

We will still have the legal battle to fight one day but I think you
will win if you reimplement safedisk and use this as your argument. One
day WINE, ReactOS and other project are going to get taken to court
over the DMCA. This is a given. The question is do you want it to be
over this? Is gamming support in WINE and ReactOS important enough to
you?

Thanks
Steven


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