Re: re-writing algorithms in Guile

[Jay Sulzberger <jays@panix.com>]

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On Mon, 28 Jun 2021, Tim Meehan <btmeehan@gmail.com> wrote:

> Say for instance, I have found an algorithm for scalar function
> minimization on a website, written in C. It is posted with a license for
> use. If I write something based on this hypothetical code, is it then
> clearly also licensed in the same manner?
>
> Granted, I know that this is guile-user and not guile-lawyer, but in many
> cases the transformation from procedural to functional is kind of a radical
> re-imagining. I usually try to contact the people and ask them directly,
> but was wondering what was the general consensus in cases where the
> original author did not answer?

Algorithms cannot be copyrighted.

See

https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ31.pdf

Here is a quote from the article:

   United States Copyright Office

   Ideas, Methods, or Systems

   What Is Not Protected by Copyright

   Copyright law does not protect ideas, methods, or systems.
   Copyright protection is therefore not available for ideas or
   procedures for doing, making, or building things scientific or
   technical methods or discoveries; business operations or
   procedures; mathematical principles; formulas or algorithms; or
   any other concept, process, or method of operation

   Section 102 of the Copyright Act (title 17 of the U.S. Code)
   clearly expresses this principle: “In no case does copyright
   protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea,
   procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept,
   principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is
   described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such
   work.”

   Inventions are subject matter for patents, not copyrights.
   For information about patent laws, contact

   Commissioner for Patents
   U. S. Patent and Trademark Office
   P.  O . Box 1450
   Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
   (800) 786-9199
   www.uspto.gov

Your program in Guile Scheme which realizes an algorithm is not a
derivative work of the program you read, which program is written in
C.  Even in the case that your program realizes the same algorithm as
the C program does.  The above official article of the US Copyright
Office clearly states this.

oo--JS.