Slashdot Mirror
Inside the CueCat Hardware
HaveBlue writes "Apparently not content to simply go after those writing software for the CueCat, Digital Convergence is now giving the evil eye to hardware hackers. I just got a letter via FedEx this morning almost exactly like the one sent to Michael Rothwell and other developers. DC just doesn't seem to understand that they can't control hardware that's given away for free..." The second link is an extremely detailed discussion of the internals of the CueCat. Mirror it while you can.
"DC just doesn't seem to understand that they can't control hardware that's given away for free..."
Apparently they do understand.
Today, I got this response from Charles Richardson of DC.
Dear Wallace,
The Cat is yours to do with as you please. I would suggest that you give it
to a friend if you do not want this for yourself. I'm sorry but we have no
way for you to conveniently return this to us.
At 06:00 PM 9/28/00, you wrote:
>Submitted: 09/28/00 at 06:00 pm:
>====================
>Name: Wallace Lee
>Regarding: tech
>Email: koala@koalaweb.net
>Heard from: magazine
>Which one:
>Comments: Hello,
>I recently received a ":Cue:Cat" device with a magazine subscription.
>I do not agree with your EULA, and I would like to return it to your
>company. Please provide me with shipping instructions, and a prepaid
>shipping container or label. If you can supply me with such an item,
>please e-mail me koala@koalaweb.net. Otherwise, I will destroy the
>:Cue:Cat device or play around with it as I am considering it an
>unsolicited gift.
>
>Thank you,
>WL
>====================
>Browser & Operating System: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows 98)
>Remote Host: adsl-63-198-207-97.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (63.198.207.97)
>
>eMphormed(tm) email system v2.0.3 by eMphasys technologies, inc.
> Copyright 1998-2000, All Rights Reserved. For authorized use only.
> http://www.emphasys.net
Wallace J. Lee
To whom it may concern,
Our clients, the slashdot communicty, have recently made it clear to us that your firm has been partcipating in an unjustified harassment campaign against developers of open source CueCat software on behalf of your client, Digital Convergance. Despite repeated requests for clarification from the recipients of your requests, your firm has seen fit to persist with its harassment of developers working on legitimate hardware and software development.
This letter is being provided to inform you that persuant to section 53, paragraph 12 of the State of Ohio Revised code, you are hereby ordered to cease and desist all actions against the forementioned developers until such time as a complete list of specific grievances can be included with your request. Failure to comply will result in the filing of a civil lawsuit against your firm, digital convergance, and its partners.
Thank you,
Scott F. Crosby
Will that do?
-- Minds are like parachutes... they work best when open.
I remember a story from a few years ago, possibly apocryphal. There was a bungee tower operator, and he went to the top of his tower to make a test jump. Apparently he first checked to make sure that the cord was securely fastened to the top of the tower, and did a back-dive off the tower.
... presumably the point that he realized his error.
Unfortunately, he had neglected to attach the other end of the bungee cord to his legs.
He apparently started screaming about halfway down
Evolution in action.
Here we have the corporate equivalent. In order for DC's business model to work, they needed to ensure that no one else could write software to use their hardware. Their entire business model is based on funnelling all cuecat scans through their web site. If you can use a cuecat without going through their web site, then their business model is destroyed.
Unfortunately, they failed to do that. They used a primitive algorithm, and they made the slightly scrambled string print out in a DOS window, making it extra simple to figure out. They have NO patents that cover use of the hardware, and all of their copyrights only apply to their software, which you don't need to install to use the cuecat. Their "trade secret" was easily reverse-engineered, which is completely legal.
The reason that their vague lawyer-letters don't actually specify any specific intellectual property violation, and the reason why people are receiving vague letters instead of cease and desist letters is quite simple.
They forgot to attach the bungee cord to their legs.
Those letters are the screaming.
Evolution in action.
can any hardware engineers out there write up a quick and dirty on how to build your own bar-code scanner? then you could base any of your software engineering on hardware you'd created yourself.
let's see em sue you for that.
p.s. since it's legal to send a cease and desist letter for anything, can we get a slash lawyer to write a cease-and-desist letter to DC that asks them to cease and desist being assholes? Then all of us can mail them a copy...
--
What happens when you outlaw guns
Several of us at work here decided to write a little VB app that can catalog just about anything using the cue cat. We have not used any of the original code from cuecat, just the un-modified hardware. Are we going to get a rectal examination if we release this as freeware? what have we come to..........
Dirty Pirate Hooker