Lpc2000

Tom, 

> >With respect - if they are not distributing them yet - 
> neither should you.
> >I presume they are copyrighted?
> >
> Probably patented too...  Seems that a number of people slap a 
> boilerplate copyright header into everything they do, even 
> trivial code, 
> or stuff that isn't theirs.  e.g. header files describing register 
> locations and bit values / name.  In the case of the header 
> files, they 
> are using the exact verbage as Philips.
> 
> Now how can you justify asserting that you have a copywrite 
> on something 
> that isn't yours???  Apparently Microsoft is not the only one to use 
> Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt?!

All our header files are generated from XML descriptions and those are
also used in the debugger and build system.  As to copyright, the person
who typed in the names does it for the company they are working for and,
as such, it is part of their job to ensure that even trivial things are
copyrighted.  Given the large number of registers that some ARM chips
have, this is not a trivial task.  Hence, a copyright is an essential
part of software and product development to ensure that a competitor
does not simply steal your work.

The copyright is on the item that was written.  Philips copyright their
manuals and data sheets.  However, I do not believe they would stifle
product development by requiring tool vendors to pay them a license fee
to use their peripheral register names.  If they did, they'd not be
competetive.

--
Paul Curtis, Rowley Associates Ltd  http://www.rowley.co.uk
CrossWorks for MSP430, ARM, AVR and now MAXQ processors