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Ask HN: Fable hacked my piano, can I release the results?

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Re: Ask HN: Fable hacked my piano, can I release the results?

#14

Post by Elsewhereindeed »

codingdave wrote: post #7
jmpman wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US. https://store.pianodisc.com/pages/terms-of-service-and-condi... I don't see details about them mentioning and decoder or encoder.

> (k) to interfere with or circumvent the security features of the Service IANAL. But I think reverse engineering their data structure, identifying a security measure - even one as weak as obfuscation, and publishing code to circumvent it is clearly against your license.

I am also NAL, but out of curiosity does OPs post detailing the obfuscation transgress any laws?

If the security measures exist in plain sight, as they apparently do, are they allowed to be discussed?

I reckon that if OP posts the encoder/decoder software that'd be against some sort of license clause. However in the age of AI who cares about the software at this point? Anyone can prompt their own private version into existence.

Just thinking out loud here. I have not considered AIs use as personal "cheat engines".

Re: Ask HN: Fable hacked my piano, can I release the results?

#15

Post by Giefo6ah »

If you live in the USA, the "decoy notes" may be considered an "effective technical measure" from the "Digital Millennium Copyright Act".

If you live in Europe, this restriction may be considered "gatekeeping" and exempted by the Digital Markets Act.

Don't bring attention to yourself by asking for permission. Publish your codec, and if the company cares about this they will send a cease and desist.

If you want the world to benefit from your code but you don't want to be responsible for it, try to adapt the codec to ffmpeg. The ffmpeg project is used to dealing with these matters, and will keep your codec working for eternity.

Re: Ask HN: Fable hacked my piano, can I release the results?

#17

Post by georgemcbay »

jmpman wrote: post #6
brudgers wrote: post #3

You are free to interpret this comment as prohibition or as my blessing, but... If it matters, ask your lawyer. If it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Or to put it another way, trademarks (you've mentioned two) and copyrights (it's a crapshoot) are complex. And in some jurisdictions (notably the US) anybody can sue anyone for anything. Your risk aversion is yours, not someone else's. Your financial and legal wherew…

I might just email the company. If they object, I won't make my GitHub repo public.

> I might just email the company. If they object, I won't make my GitHub repo public.

If you do this, I can nearly guarantee they will either never respond as a best case scenario, or they will object.

There is effectively zero chance a company would give you any indication that you have their blessing. Even if they don't actually care one way or another they will make the assumption that giving you any kind of positive response is nothing but a negative for themselves in terms of future liability, etc

The phrase that it is "better to ask for forgiveness than permission" exists because of situations like the one you're in.

Just publish the repo. Don't contact them. If they C&D you, take it down if you don't want to deal with the legal repercussions.

For all the same reasons that it is easy to predict how they will react if you ask, it is easy to predict how they will react if you don't and they find the repo and object. They will send you a cease and desist letter telling you to take the repo down. You will then take the repo down and face no other legal action because it will not be worth their time to make any bigger deal of it than that.

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