Messages in this thread | | | Date | 23 Jul 1997 07:15:31 -0000 | From | Martin Pool <> | Subject | Re: linux-kernel-digest V1 #1021 |
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> From: linux kernel account <linker@nightshade.ml.org> > Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 21:18:05 -0400 (EDT) > Subject: Re: I2O (hasn't this been beat to death yet?) > > Buzzzz.. Wrong. Depending on the NDA you sign you can sign away your > soul. If you are able to access I2O stuff without signing a NDA and you > are able to document the API thats one thing.. The clone bios wasn't made > by taking a NDA'ed copy of the source and copying it. If the NDA says > 'Speak no I2O' then telling your friend joe about it over a cup of jo then > you could land your butt in jail.
I agree, you should read the fine print. However, depending on where you live, NDAs may be worth no more than the paper they're printed on. I recently heard from a solicitor that NDAs are rarely enforceable: they're more a gentleman's agreement than a legally enforceable document. The corollary is that anything that is released under an NDA is not _really_ secret. Of course, blatant theft is always more dangerous in IP cases than a gradual diffusion of information, as was described previously.
Now, while you may not land in jail, a court case from Microsoft or Intel (say) could make your life pretty miserable even if their case is insubstantial.
-- Martin Pool <m.pool@pharos.com.au> Pharos Business Solutions
"Does the state really care about your own misguided will?"
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