Reverse engineering vs illegal hacking: Difference between revisions
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*'''Vehicle telematics data''': Owners can now circumvent software locks to access, store, and share their vehicle's operations and diagnostic data. | *'''Vehicle telematics data''': Owners can now circumvent software locks to access, store, and share their vehicle's operations and diagnostic data. | ||
*'''Commercial food preparation equipment''': New exemption for retail-level restaurant equipment repair ''(addressing the McDonald's ice cream machine problem).''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowman |first=Emma |date=November 3, 20245:00 AM ET |title=A new copyright rule lets McDonald's fix its own broken ice cream machines |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/11/02/g-s1-31893/mcdonalds-broken-ice-cream-machine-copyright-law |work=NPR}}</ref> | *'''Commercial food preparation equipment''': New exemption for retail-level restaurant equipment repair ''(addressing the McDonald's ice cream machine problem).''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowman |first=Emma |date=November 3, 20245:00 AM ET |title=A new copyright rule lets McDonald's fix its own broken ice cream machines |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/11/02/g-s1-31893/mcdonalds-broken-ice-cream-machine-copyright-law |work=NPR}}</ref> | ||
*'''Consumer devices''': Renewed exemptions for smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and IoT devices. | *'''Consumer devices''': Renewed exemptions for smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and IoT devices. | ||
*'''Medical devices''': Continued exemption with FDA support, concluding that, contrary to claims otherwise, it wouldn't "necessarily and materially jeopardize" device safety.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://iamers.org/2024/07/fda-issues-letter-supporting-continuation-of-dmca-exemption-for-repair-of-medical-devices/ |title=FDA issues letter supporting continuation of DMCA exemption for repair of medical devices |publisher=IAMERS |date=July 2024}}</ref> | *'''Medical devices''': Continued exemption with FDA support, concluding that, contrary to claims otherwise, it wouldn't "necessarily and materially jeopardize" device safety.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://iamers.org/2024/07/fda-issues-letter-supporting-continuation-of-dmca-exemption-for-repair-of-medical-devices/ |title=FDA issues letter supporting continuation of DMCA exemption for repair of medical devices |publisher=IAMERS |date=July 2024}}</ref> | ||
*'''Jailbreaking''': Expanded to cover smartphones, smart TVs, voice assistants, and routers for installing alternative software. | *'''Jailbreaking''': Expanded to cover smartphones, smart TVs, voice assistants, and routers for installing alternative software. | ||
These exemptions require that circumvention be a ''"necessary step"'' for the permitted purpose and cannot facilitate access to other copyrighted works. | These exemptions require that circumvention be a ''"necessary step"'' for the permitted purpose and cannot facilitate access to other copyrighted works. | ||
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==Conclusion== | ==Conclusion== | ||
Reverse engineering is not a crime. Owning a product should mean controlling it. | Reverse engineering is not a crime. Owning a product should mean controlling it. Efforts to restore, understand, or interoperate with devices you legally bought is not "hacking"- it is a cornerstone of innovation, user freedom, and the right to repair. | ||
The legal landscape has evolved dramatically through decisions like '''Google v. Oracle''' (2021) affirming API reimplementation as fair use | The legal landscape has evolved dramatically through decisions like '''Google v. Oracle''' (2021) affirming API reimplementation as fair use<ref>{{Cite web |title=GOOGLE LLC v. ORACLE AMERICA, INC. | ||
CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR | CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR | ||
THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT | THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT | ||
No. 18–956. Argued October 7, 2020—Decided April 5, 2021 |url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/18-956_d18f.pdf}}</ref>. | No. 18–956. Argued October 7, 2020—Decided April 5, 2021 |url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/18-956_d18f.pdf}}</ref>. | ||
The October 2024 DMCA exemptions represent the largest repair rights texpansion so far. Combined | The October 2024 DMCA exemptions represent the largest repair rights texpansion so far. Combined with Van Buren's limitation of CFAA liability, these create lots of legal space for legitimate reverse engineering to be considered legal. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
[[Category:Common terms]] | [[Category:Common terms]] | ||