From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: rms@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Richard Stallman)
To: raeburn@cygnus.com
Cc: artk@congruent.com, gas2@cygnus.com, bfd@cygnus.com, erich@uruk.org
Subject: Re: traditional Intel & Microsoft formats...
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 08:22:00 -0000
Message-id: <9411101622.AA17219@mole.gnu.ai.mit.edu>
References: <9411091757.AA00676@cujo.cygnus.com>
X-SW-Source: 1994/msg00176.html

There are certain states in which courts have ruled that shrink-wrap
licenses are not valid, and perhaps you can count on this now in all
states.  Meanwhile, there are states in which the Federal courts have
ruled that disassembly is lawful.  Also, in the EC, a law was passed
that explicitly makes disassembly lawful, when used for the purposes
of finding out the information necessary to make something that can
interoperate.

If you buy a copy in a state where shrink-wrap licenses have been
ruled not valid, you can then lawfully take it to the EC (assuming
this is not export-restricted), and there lawfully disassemble it and
use the information.