Proposed Solutions

Although one proposed solution has been to deem technologies that assist in software reverse engineering unlawful, it seem unlikely that this will be met with much agreeement. The merits of reverse engineering are simply too great. Additionally, the enforcement of such a ban would be nearly impossible.

A more viable solution recommended within the software industry would be to obtain permission from the original copyright holder to reverse engineer the technology. This seems much more beneficial, since it will presumably not hinder the educational realms use of reverse engineering nor will it hinder software manufacturers that are simply trying to update their old code. The only process that might be hindered is the copyright violating application of reverse engineering which steals technology from competitors. Thus, this has potential to be an effective solution in that it directly targets the problem areas. However, formalizing and enforcing the procedure for this mandatory permission concept is rather daunting.