Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Path: msuinfo!caen!sdd.hp.com!network.ucsd.edu!qualcom.qualcomm.com!qualcom.qualcomm.com!karn
From: karn@qualcom.qualcomm.com (Phil Karn)
Subject: Re: VCR+ code question: Was it cracked and legal action taken?
Message-ID: <1992Jan6.225256.28191@qualcomm.com>
Sender: news@qualcomm.com
Nntp-Posting-Host: qualcom.qualcomm.com
Reply-To: karn@chicago.qualcomm.com
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc
References: <1992Jan6.160219.3580@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <13665@oasys.dt.navy.mil>
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1992 22:52:56 GMT
Lines: 20

In article <13665@oasys.dt.navy.mil>, curt@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Curt Welch) writes:
|> Gemstar has however contacted us, and asked us not to release our
|> information. [...]
|> Either we will reach some type of agreement with Gemstar and not
|> release our program - in which case you will have to figure out
|> the codes on your own - or we will decide to release it. [...]

Sigh. If anything will motivate a LOT of people to "break" the VCR+
codes it will be heavy-handed tactics from Gemstar. In other words, if
they want to have the information disseminated as widely as possible,
they should continue to threaten to sue anybody who reverse-engineers it.

I hadn't paid much attention to VCR+ until now -- even I am strongly
tempted by a challenge like this.

When will people like that learn?

Phil


