Can i post reverse engineered schematic legally? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: MacIntoshCZ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 07:05:24 am
content: Hello i am trying to reverse engineer "Nice power 120V 3A" lab psu. Is legall to post schematic online then?

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 07:24:56 am
content: There is almost nothing to prevent you doing this, only contract terms where you promise not to reverse engineer the item. You cannot distribute a direct copy of someone else's schematic, but if you come up with a schematic having never seen the original then that "clean" version is free for you to share.

author: strawberry
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 07:27:51 am
content: legally unauthorized person shoudnt open it. if you put schematics on youtube/facebook it is their property, I guess no problem then.dont know about legal problems when posting on forums . you draw schematic it is your property

author: DavidKo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 07:55:22 am
content: It depends if they use some special know how (in worst case patented). But these cheap power supplies will be a copy of something else, maybe even some generic schematic is used. So in case that you will not publish their "official" schematic, I do not see any trouble with that.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 07:58:18 am
content: This is not legal advice.But my understanding is you cannot copyright the way a collection of electronic parts are connected together. So duplicating an existing schematic yourself using a cad/sch/drawing program is ok to do/build/use/share/sell.You cannot photocopy someone else schematics since that image has copyright.It has to be your own creation, even if how the parts are connected is 100% identical.Note: If you created the schematic yourself in the same software tool the original schematic was created in and you made it look 100% the same then that would be a bit of a grey area. So you'd want to position stuff in your own style.But yeah, this is not legal advice.

author: Dave
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 10:51:12 am
content: Quote from: strawberry on April 17, 2023, 07:27:51 amNonsense. The manufacturer can try* to void your warranty for opening the product, but they can not stop you from taking apart a product that you own.* Try, because in some jurisdictions they have to prove that your disassembly directly affected something that failed afterwards and is the reason for your RMA. "Warranty void if torn" stickers are bullshit and breaking that seal is not sufficient legal basis for voiding the warranty of a product.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 10:58:04 am
content: Quote from: DavidKo on April 17, 2023, 07:55:22 amThere's nothing wrong with posting patented information. That's the whole point of patents: they're public. You can look them up in the official libraries if you want.

author: daisizhou
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 01:06:40 pm
content: Looking forward to seeing your schematic diagram very much

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 01:24:58 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on April 17, 2023, 10:58:04 am"they're public"This is exactly why inventors sometimes don't patent their ideas. Publishing a patent is like printing the blue prints to your device. Some inventors would rather skip the patent and go ahead and build and sell their device in the hopes that they can capture the market (or to win the current war!) before someone copies their device from the patents.It's thought that there are still dozens, if not hundreds, of patentable ideas that where used in the construction of the USS Monitor in 1862 by it's builder John Ericson.

author: Kokoriantz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 01:42:58 pm
content: Jean Hiraga who had numerous monthly publications, when shows a circuit in his books, he introduces a stupid error that the circuit cannot function but anyone can know what to do. For example: you short the input ac. You can even deposit a copyright.

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 01:55:45 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on April 17, 2023, 10:58:04 amand once you sell something to the public what it contains that you can find out by simple inspection is no longer a secret