Chapter 13. Reverse Engineering

One of the themes of this book is the growing strength of intellectual property protections like fortresses on the intellectual landscape. Like medieval castles, many different types of protection can be placed around a particular piece of intellectual turf. There are patent walls, copyright towers, and trade secret battlements that can only be accessed through licensing gates.

When medieval armies attacked, they had two ways to overcome castle defenses: by siege and by assault. During a siege, attackers would try to wait out the defenders of the castle, letting time do the work of removing the castle defenses. An assault, on the other hand, would attack the castle protections head-on to defeat them.