What is reverse engineering?
>From a purely technical sense, reverse engineering is the taking apart of something to figure out how it works. Legally, it’s a bit more complicated. This is what Judge Canby had to say on the matter in the recent Sony vs. Connectix reverse engineering case: Reverse engineering encompasses several methods of gaining access to the functional elements of a software program. They include: (1) reading about the program; (2) observing “the program in operation by using it on a computer;” (3) performing a “static examination of the individual computer instructions contained within the program”; (4) performing a “dynamic examination of the individual computer instructions as the program is being run on a computer. Id. at 846. Method (1) is the least effective, because individual software manuals often misdescribe the real product. See id. It would be particularly ineffective in this case because Sony does not make such information available about its PlayStation. Methods (2), (3), and (4) re
Reverse engineering (RE) is the process of discovering the technological principles of a mechanical application through analysis of its structure, function and operation. It often involves taking something apart and analyzing its workings in detail, usually with the intention to construct a new device or program that does the same thing without actually copying anything from the original. This kind of inquiry engages individuals in a constructive learning process about the operation of systems and products. Through reverse engineering, a researcher gathers the technical data necessary for the documentation of the operation of a technology or component of a system. Reverse engineering begins with final product, and works backward to recreate the engineering concepts by analyzing the design of the system and the interrelationships of its components. The goal of reverse engineering itself is the improved documentation of how the original product works by uncovering the underlying design.
