U.S. limits on encryption exports create fans overseas; rules intended to thwart international criminals help European companies
Article Abstract:
US export restrictions of the most-secure encryption software have benefited European encryption companies. The controversial US stance stems from national security officials's fears that the CIA and FBI could not decipher coded messages from international criminals. Stronger European products, meanwhile, have filled the gap by avoiding US restrictions. Among the European beneficiaries are Brokat, Ireland-based Baltimore Technologies and Siemens AG. By comparison, the US policy has curtailed business growth for domestic companies such as encryption-software vendor RSA Data Security, Microsoft and Consensus Development. The US encryption turmoil at the very least has allowed Europeans to raise money and narrow the technological gap. European companies also can use the encryption software as a springboard to sell other software products and cement future business opportunities.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1998
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Court eases copyright rules for software
Article Abstract:
A New York federal appeals court rules in favor of Altai Inc and against Computer Associates International Inc in a case concerning copyrighted software. Computer Associates had claimed that Altai's Oscar 3.5 calendar program included copyrighted material. The long-awaited decision limits copyright protection to source code and is likely to have a profound effect on similar cases nationwide, putting all major word processing and spreadsheet software programs at risk of being copied with no legal redress. The court rules that software copyrights do not give blanket protection to all elements of the program but only to those ideas which are unique to a particular package, excluding standard techniques and structures that are used for efficiency. Lotus Development Corp currently has a similar case against Borland International Inc in relation to the 1-2-3 spreadsheet program.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1992
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Software finds alternative legal shields
Article Abstract:
Software publishers, having found that copyright law gives them meager protection, have turned to patent, trade-secret and contract law to protect their products. In a key ruling in Apr 1993, a federal appeals court held that a contract can be written to restrict use that is allowed under copyright law. Other firms are filing trade-secrecy claims, which essentially allege that a rival has purloined an idea. Other software publishers, most notably IBM, are going through the costly, complex process of obtaining a patent. Three big cases in 1993 apparently weakened copyright protection of software. In the most celebrated case, a federal appeals court ruled that reverse engineering, in which a company breaks down a rival's computer program to see how it works, constitutes 'fair use' under copyright law.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1993
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