[sdiy-interim] Reverse engineering printed circuit boards

[Paul Perry]

It's been discussed before, but the legal situation
appears to be:
Any previously existing circuit can be built legally,
provided no aspect of the circuit is protected by a
current patent (which lets anything a couple of decades
old off).
The physical arrangement - or at least the PCB - is a matter of
'design', which is covered by copyright, which (if I am correct)
lasts much longer than a patent.

The most serious matter - and the likeliest to get a call from
a lawyer - is to sell a device under the name of some manufacturer,
or to make it look so much like the product of another manufacturer
that a potential customer might be confused. This last is what
Behringer appeared to attempt with their EH stompbox copies.

The law informs us of our legal duties; our ethics (if any) of our
moral duties.

Incidentally, I can't see any problem making anything from PCB
designs in old mags, since they were originally put there so that
readers could do so.

paul perry Melbourne Australia

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tony K" <
> Like old Radio Electronics pcb pages, it would be useful to use this
technique.
> Speaking of copyright, aren't all these clones of gear all over the
> place questionable ?
> How close is too close ? I was informed recently that d16 had to
> change the look of their 808 vsti cause Roland got nervous.I've seen
> their 909 and it is uncanny how close it looks and sounds !
> If I change the layout by say 5 % to accomondate a modern
> substitute  is it ok then ?


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