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--- legal [2023/11/22 21:16] – enusbaum
+++ legal [2023/11/22 21:20] – enusbaum
@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 Yes. MBBSEmu is fully legal.
-Developers have not looked at The Major BBS, Worldgroup, or Btrieve source code (as it is not public). They have used the [[https://github.com/mbbsemu/MBBSEmu/tree/master/documents|public documentation]] of Galacticomm, Microsoft, Actian/Pervasive/Novell, and Intel. They have also made many tests and test applications to understand how The MajorBBS & Worldgroup works. In fact, MBBSEmu does the same things that The MajorBBS/Worldgroup does but it does it differently as we don't have the same source code and it is all programmed by different developers. All code in MBBSEmu is released under the MIT License.
+MBBSEmu has been developed with strict adherence to legal standards and operates entirely within the legal framework. The project does not utilize any original source code from Galacticomm's The Major BBS or Worldgroup. Instead, it is built exclusively from clean-room engineered source code, following the MIT License's guidelines. This approach involves using [[mbbsemu:faq:technical_documents|publicly available documentation]] and conducting independent tests to understand and recreate the functionalities of The MajorBBS and Worldgroup without accessing or copying their original code. The distinct and independently developed nature of MBBSEmu's codebase ensures its legal integrity and compliance with copyright laws.
 ===== What constitutes a Copyright violation? =====
-A Copyright violation for software would be copying source code for the purpose of recreating a given work. Emulators do not violate Copyright as long as their source code hasn't been copied from the original software or distribute unauthorized copies of a given original software.
+A copyright violation in the context of software development, such as for emulators like MBBSEmu, typically involves directly copying or replicating the source code of another software to create a similar product. For emulators, it's crucial to develop the code independently without utilizing the original software's source code. Additionally, distributing unauthorized copies of the original software also constitutes a violation. MBBSEmu circumvents these legal pitfalls by using a clean-room approach to code development, ensuring that its emulation functionalities are created without infringing upon the copyrighted material of the original software.
 For prior cases related to the legality of Emulators in relation to Copyright law, please see: