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Comment by ls612 | Hacker News Reader

The option will be vexatious litigation to make some examples. It’ll probably work too, at least long enough for this whole AI reverse engineering transformation to piss off enough companies to lobby Congress to outlaw reverse engineering

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They basically did that with the DMCA. The most trivial code made to "Protect" the data on the disk and it's already violating the law to even try and look at the data before you can reverse engineer anything.

Basically, the reality that allowed the IBM PC clone market to happen and democratize computers for the masses doesn't exist anymore.

Yeah read to its extreme the DMCA abolishes personal property so long as it contains electronics. The electronics have copyrighted firmware or software, and any attempt to use them in any way the manufacturer deems unfit for any reason whatsoever is a felony. There is but one law: might makes right.

  > the DMCA abolishes personal property so long as it contains electronics

i think this is a good distinction: electronic _personal property_ is basically abolished while _private property_ (aka means of production) is strengthened and protected.

it really goes to show the balance of influence where law is used basically say 'corporations > people' (and this isn't the first time), which begs the question do we even live in a 'democracy' if thats the norm?

I that's possible but I don't see how it can last since it conflicts with practically the entire constitution one way or another. I mean it's not a form of forcing you to house and feed a soldier, so clear there.

I don’t think the constitution protects reverse engineering. It’s just a couple court rulings from the 80s and 90s.

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