UIC Law Review Volume 31 Issue 1 Article 1 Fall 1997 Legal Aspects - Software Reverse Engineering and Copyright: Past, Present and Future, 31 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1 (1997) Brian C. Behrens Reuven R. Levary Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.uic.edu/lawreview Part of the Computer Law Commons, Intellectual Property Law Commons, Legislation Commons, and the Science and Technology Law Commons Recommended Citation Brian C. Behrens & Reuven R. Levary, Legal Aspects - Software Reverse Engineering and Copyright: Past, Present and Future, 31 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1 (1997) https://repository.law.uic.edu/lawreview/vol31/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by UIC Law Open Access Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in UIC Law Review by an authorized administrator of UIC Law Open Access Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. ARTICLES LEGAL ASPECTS - SOFTWARE REVERSE ENGINEERING AND COPYRIGHT: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BRIAN C. BEHRENS*& REUVEN R. LEVARY** With technological advances in the field of computers, the le- gal world is discovering that the laws that apply to this field must advance as well. Copyright laws that currently govern the devel- opment of computer software are still quite ambiguous, with diffi- culties in their application and debates over the scope of the law. In light of conflicting case law, it is troublesome for an attorney to give clients advice on whether certain software development tech- niques violate copyright laws or carry other legal consequences. What is certain is that the courts are deciding more and more computer software cases.' As a result, future law regarding copy- right infringement in this area is still subject to change.