Will I get sued for this?

[mrloofer]

This is the scenario.

Let's say someone developed a plugin that reads a particular file format. The file format in question is public domain but this plugin just displays it in a different way. The plugin is free to download and put on your server but cannot be distributed.

The actual application which creates the file in the format that is readable by their plugin you have to buy and the licence is hefty.

Now, in the license file it says you cannot reverse engineer the application, but this is referring to the free plugin, not the application that you have to buy.

I looked at the application which generates the file in the format that can be read by their fre plugin and it is nothing special, it just outputs the file in a slightly different way, but it uses the public domain file format as it's base and never makes any special changes to it.

So I thought hey, this is nothing special, and 10 minutes later I had a working VB app that did exactly what they were doing. In no way was I using their technology to do it, I was simply able to produce the format that their free reader uses.

My question is this: Is it morally (and legally) wrong for me to sell my own tool for a fraction of the price, never include or distribute their free plugin and say this generates files that can be read by xxxx's plugin ?

To me, it's like writing my own program thats spits out a .RTF file. I can say it can be used by Microsoft Word but as long as I am not distributing it I am not violating any copyright laws.

What you think?

[Cander]

It all depends on what the license for the file format says.

If it is public domain, there should not be any issue.

It is like HTML, you are perfectly in your rights to make and sell your own HTML browser, assuming you wrote your own parser and didnt use the IE or Gecko parser's.

[NotLKH]

Mr. Loo {c???} fer,

So, you have 1 party with an application that requires a license.
BUT,.. the output file's format is non-copyrighted.

Some gent has cracked their file format, and is selling the cracker.
Now, you've also cracked it.

Have you RE'd their app? NO!!!!!!

Go ahead! Live the American dream! JUST DO IT!!!!