Disassembling object code: a misdeed
R.H. Stern · IEEE Micro · 1994
It is a settled rule of US, Japanese, and European copyright law that the copyright laws do not protect ideas embodied in a copyrighted work. Rather, copyright law protects only the way ideas are expressed in words, drawings, and the like. Applying this body of law to disassembly of object code in a ROM, diskette, or tape may be problematical. A trade secret case (or breach of contract case) could act as an effective substitute for a copyright infringement action.>