RE: [oc] Legal projects that can be worked on.

["Sam Gladstone" <samg@t-and-t.com>]

I completely agree!
If we know what is legal and what areas are not, then
the group can be more focused on the right things.

Can Opencores distribute the USB spec or can someone
let us know the easiest way to get it?

Also, can someone who knows about PCI advise
us on the what is legal with PCI implementations.
Please keep ranting to a minimum, we have to live
with the fact that all public projects have to be
legal so Opencores can remain on the web.

Regards,
 Sam



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-cores@opencores.org [mailto:owner-cores@opencores.org]On
Behalf Of Damjan Lampret
Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2001 12:21 PM
To: cores@opencores.org
Subject: Re: [oc] Legal projects that can be worked on.


Hi !

I agree that we should devote more attention to legal issues. However I'm
not expert on this subject so I can't say much - maybe there is an IP lawyer
on this list that could give some hints?

My two cents:
- I think any IP core that is not a clone and it doesn't implement a patent
is _probably_ safe
- even though PCI spec document itself is heavily protected, if you
implement PCI core I think it is ok (do you first need to buy PCI spec?)

I know that USB spec is freely available (usb forum) and implementation of
USB is not problematic. Maybe we should focus on implementations of freealy
available specs?

regards,
Damjan

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sam Gladstone" <samg@t-and-t.com>
To: <cores@opencores.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2001 8:28 PM
Subject: [oc] Legal projects that can be worked on.


> I thought it interesting that the PCI spec was so heavily protected by
> lawyers from PCI-SIG.
> Is there anything that is not so heavily protected and
> might be of interest for the Opencores group?
>
> I am just looking for a "fair game" list of things that could be looked
into
> that
> won't land me in jail because of the DCMA or some other ridiculous
corporate
> protectionist
> based law here in the U.S.
>
> If we know what areas are legally OK to implement then it could be put
into
> spec.
> Because working on something just to spite lawyers and then have it taken
> off the
> Opencores website is not going to get us anywhere.
>
> Here is what I have seen
> DSP and mixed signal circuits seem pretty safe.
>
> Just about any recent IBM-PC interface seems to be guarded with lawyers.
> (PCI, USB and so on.)
>
> What about specs in the IEEE? How safe are they? Or does inclusion
> into IEEE numbering system make them the property of the IEEE and
> its band of lawyers?
>
> I think this stuff needs to be roughly documented and placed as a FAQ on
> the site. Sure would save a lot of grief for people new to the Opencores
and
> keep Opencores in a little more safe position.
>
> Regards,
>  Sam Gladstone
>
>
>
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