Mon, 06 Jun 2005

Closed Source -> Charges Dismissed?

Companies that make devices for deciding illegal actions should have no more recourse to copyright than trade associations that formerly attempted to claim copyright on building codes. But at least in this case, the market will undoubtedly take over. If I were the police chief in this jurisdiction, I'd be looking for a new source of Breathalyzers.

According to the Tampa Tribune, judges in the central Florida county of Seminole are dismissing DUI charges when the defendant asks for information on how the breath test works. Apparently the manufacture of the device is unwilling to release the code to the state, and all four judges in the county have been dismissing DUI cases when the state cannot provide the requested information.

(link) [Slashdot]

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