[Fsf-friends] Non-free device drivers
Ramanraj K
ramanraj.k@gmail.com
Fri Apr 22 09:12:12 IST 2005
,----[ Vivek Vaghese Cherian wrote:]
| I do agree that helping the community by writing driver code is indeed
| the proactive way of handling this issue.
|
| 1) What are the existing laws in India that support the customer
| against unethical pratices like not disclosing sufficient information
| about hardware registers that force one to waste time on "reverse
| engineering" ?
|
| Any URL containing the relevant laws would be of additional help.
|
| 2) What is the name of the appropriate authority to complain to
| against the unethical practice of not disclosing sufficient
| information about hardware registers that force one to waste time on
| "reverse engineering" ?
|
| I feel this info would be vital not only for me but also to countless
| other victims of hardware vendors not disclosing sufficient
| information about their hardware.
`----
The TRIPs Agreement made provisions for LAYOUT-DESIGNS (TOPOGRAPHIES)
OF INTEGRATED CIRCUITS and pursuant to it, we have the Semiconductor
Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000 that deals with most of
the issues involved here. _IF_ a card is registered under this law,
then it should be fairly easy to get to the details (under S. 87 of
the Act, the documents are open to public inspection). Also, note the
following:
http://164.100.24.167/bul1/203/09122004.htm
<quote>
A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Notifications of
the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Department
of Information Technology), under section 96 of the Semiconductor
Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000
(1) S.O. 277 (E) dated the 1st March, 2004, appointing Dr. K.S. Chari
Scientist 'G', Department of Information Technology to hold
additional charge of Registrar of Semiconductor Integrated
Circuits Layout-Design.
(2) S.O. 278 (E) dated the 1st March, 2004, appointing the 1st day of
May, 2004, as the date on which the provisions of section 3 and
section 5 of the said Act shall come into force.
(3) S.O. 279 (E) dated the 1st March, 2004, establishing a Registry
which shall be known as the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits
Layout-Design Registry (SICLDR) and specifying that the head
office of the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design
Registry so established shall be located in the Department of
Information Technology, C.G.O Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi and
the territorial limits within which such office of the
Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Registry may
exercise its functions shall be the whole of India.
</quote>
But, mostly the vast majority of cards in the market may *not*
registered as above. In such cases, it should be enough to write to
the concerned manufacturer asking for details, or even ask for driver
source code written in C. If polite requests do not yield results,
then, the most efficacious remedy would be to insist upon your rights
as a "consumer" before the Consumer Forum for relief, including claims
for damages, if any. Of course, under the Consumer Protection Act,
"Consumer" does not include a person who obtains such goods for resale
or for any commercial purpose. But, "commercial purpose" does not
include use by a consumer of goods bought and used by him exclusively
for the purpose of earning his livelihood, by means of
self-employment.
Most Acts are available online at http://indiacode.nic.in/sht.asp and
a search for "Consumer Protection Act" returns a text file of the Act.
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