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 # open-roms
 A project to create unencumbered open-source ROMs for use on selected retro computers
+
+# Problem Statement
+
+The copyrights of various old computer system ROMs are still alive, and together with trademarks, can present significant
+challenges for retro-computing projects to ensure their ability to freely distribute their systems in a functional state,
+which typically requires the inclusion of firmware, i.e, "ROMs".
+
+Therefore the goal of this project is to create a fully open-source and unencumbered set of ROMs for various systems.
+The initial focus is the C64 and C65 computers, because of the desire to be able to include open ROMs with the MEGA65
+retro computer.
+
+# Method and estimated legal situation of reverse engineering
+
+Reverse engineering is a well known science, and enjoys protection under copyright law in a number of jurisdictions,
+including the EU and Australia.  Large companies such as Microsoft have also used it in the past in major products
+such as Windows.
+
+The generally accepted method is to create a specification from the existing software, and then have a separate team
+implement the new software from that specification.  
+
+Interesting challenges in our case include that the software is so widely distributed, that it is much more difficult
+to find people who have not been exposed to the original software, which can complicate claims of "cleanness" of the
+result.  Also, when talking about a compact 8KB ROM, for example, there may only be so many ways to implement a given
+function.  This latter issue is both a disadvantage and advantage, because where there is no choice in implementation,
+then it is questionable whether the result can be copyright, because it contains no creative expression.
+
+What we will need to do to minimise the risks, is to describe the creation of each routine and piece of code with
+extensive commentary in terms of the specifications, including to explore different potential implementations of
+the specification, with justification of which particular implementation is being used.  Where the result is considerably
+similar to the original, then further justification will be required to explain how this is inevitable.