DIYEFI.org Forum

Someone else has been ripping off peoples IP :

German : http://www.k-data.org/pages/index.php/page.60/kdFi.html

Translated : http://www.google.com/translate?u=http% ... l=de&tl=en

Can you do anything about that Alan? Did you know about it? Do you care?

Do you want me to remove this post/thread? Or do you prefer to expose people like this?

Fred.

Hi Fred,

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The guy who designed this, Steffan, has spoken to me before and is purchasing ICs off me for his project. I am not sure about the MS part though, but that is not my business.

Regards,

Alan To

toalan wrote:Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The guy who designed this, Steffan, has spoken to me before and is purchasing ICs off me for his project.

Not a problem, I'm glad it is legitimate :-)

I am not sure about the MS part though, but that is not my business.

Don't worry, I'm sure they have spies here ;-) It could even be licensed as per this thread that never gets updated :

http://www.msefi.com/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=23352

Fred.

It actually looks pretty nice - what does it mean 'cpu' - does that hook to the guage header?

It's certainly small, etc. And I think I see two MS-II chips on it, is there some GPIO thing there?

What part of this unique design actually classifies as "ripped off IP"?

MS2 chips: bought on the open market
Components: bought on the open market
Layout: unique, implements functions of purchased components

There is no foundation under selling a component to perform a function and expecting to control how it is implemented. If a competitor purchases pre-burned MS2 daughter boards and uses them in their own design, B&G has no right to tell them not to use it. The boards were bought on the open market and perform as specified. The copyright holder has been compensated for the copy of the firmware at the price they chose. How the generated signals are used is up to who is using them.

thebigmacd wrote:What part of this unique design actually classifies as "ripped off IP"?

1) MS2 chips: bought on the open market
2) Components: bought on the open market
3) Layout: unique, implements functions of purchased components

I'm a big IP fan. Truly. The vast majority of items are not IP.

I've been to court a few times concerning item #3 above. Federal court one of those times. The ruling has always been that commonly available components used on a circuit board, and how they are connected, enjoy no copyright protection. Except by express agreement between parties that is.

B&G offer such an agreement for their products. The terms of the agreement are very reasonable, and consistent with typical royalty payments that might be awarded from patent infringement say.

Now that doesn't mean that Company A cannot take Company B to court to attempt to prove some type of protection. While not legally successful it serves to cause a financial burden on Company B.

Something interesting to me is that many folks refer to the processor as a "MS processor", or "B&G chip", etc. As if the processor becomes something other than a Freescale processor when code is loaded into it.

- Jim

MotoFab wrote: Something interesting to me is that many folks refer to the processor as a "MS processor", or "B&G chip", etc. As if the processor becomes something other than a Freescale processor when code is loaded into it.

- Jim

This is why I used the daughter board as the specific example, as it is a manufactured product designed and sold by B&G.

thebigmacd wrote:This is why I used the daughter board as the specific example, as it is a manufactured product designed and sold by B&G.

The term "MS2 chips" in your post. Lots of people say it that way. Do you mean MS2 boards? Lots of people say "MS processor", "MS chip", "B&G chip", etc. I hear that to mean the processor, IC, chip, etc., rather than board or assembly.

- Jim

MotoFab wrote:

thebigmacd wrote:This is why I used the daughter board as the specific example, as it is a manufactured product designed and sold by B&G.

The term "MS2 chips" in your post. Lots of people say it that way. Do you mean MS2 boards? Lots of people say "MS processor", "MS chip", "B&G chip", etc. I hear that to mean the processor, IC, chip, etc., rather than board or assembly.

- Jim

I forgot to correct that before I posted. To be honest, my original post underwent 5 complete rewrites before I hit submit

I see, Kieth. Mine was a side comment anyway, re: B&G chips.

To reprise, the courts agree with the non-IP status of most items designed and built. You name it, prolly not IP.

It's mostly much easier to sign a royalty agreement to build a commercial something-or-other, than to withstand the time and money of a legal battle that goes nowhere. I don't think it's right, but it is what commonly occurs.

As for personal, non-commercial, or research use, there is no protection for anything at any time.

- Jim