Re: [Hamlib-developer] CI-V

[Stephane F. <f4...@fr...>]

Kai Altenfelder wrote:
> 
> On Fri, Jan 26, Nate Bargmann wrote:
> 
> > > They don't have any problems with giving away copies of their CI-V
> > > spec to developers but won't give us a written permission to use it
> > > under GPL. The reason for that is the somehow strange attitude of
> > > Icom Japan (they fear some legally exotic issues).
> > 
> > That's somewhat of a puzzling position to me.  I guess what you're
> > refering to is documentation already developed by Icom in electronic
> > form.  In that light their position is understandable.  If what they
> > mean is that we can't create our own documentation based on their spec
> > and release that under the GPL, then we have a problem.
> 
> No, the latter is not what I understood from my phone call. What they
> won't give us is a written permission to use their documentation neither
> as a printout nor electronically. But they provide us with printouts, if
> we wan't to have those.
> 
  I'm not sure about what are their fears. Did they understand that our
  goal is NOT to release their documentation under GPL (which would be
  a copyright violation), but only use a "printout" (electronically forms
  may leak) so we can develop the code controlling the radios they sell?
  And BTW, they already released somehow such documention for the PCR1000,
  available at http://www.philtered.net/icomlib.phtml

> > > 	http://www.plicht.de/
> > > 
> > > where you'll find documentation of CI-V in english language.
> > > 
	The Ekki's site (DF4OR) is a golden mine! Actually, I'm using it
	since I started to work on the Icom backend. The command list
	looks complete, but we still have no clue which rig supports
	which one of those. Also, the Hamlib project is referenced on Ekki's
	site.

> > So here is how I understand the situation.
> > 
> > Radio manufacturers publish the control command specifications and make
> > them public.
> > 
> > The radio manuals and/or the computer control specification documents
> > are likely copyrighted by the manufacturer.
> > 
> > We are allowed to create our own software under the GPL which uses these
> > commands (typically hex values with arguments sent over a serial line).
> > 
> > We should be able to document these commands and how our software
> > references them under the same license as our software, GPL.
> > 
> > We cannot use directly the copyrighted work of the manufacturer's
> > documentation in a GPL document unless they specifically allow that work
> > to be distributed under the GPL.
> 
> Agreed.
[snip]
> 

Agreed too. A mail is definitely less confusing than a phone call.

> Agreed. Additionally, every RX/TX comes with a printed manual that
> describes the protocol of its CAT interface (at least this applies for all
> my Yaesu radios).
> 
  Lucky you ;-)  mine is pretty scarce (Icom).

>
> > I think so long as we abide by the rules of "fair use" and give
> > attribution when we quote some published reference manual, we should be
> > fine with using the GPL.
>
> I second this. Provide me with your postal address(es) and I will send 
> you a copy of my CI-V.
> 

If Nate doesn't mind, I'd love to receive a copy of your CI-V too. Thanks.

Regards,
-- 
Stephane / F4CFE