Do free software developers need lawyers, when reverse engineering formats such as Corel Draw? How to work on the compatibility of file formats, when risking law suits from patent holders? Should we forget about opening up proprietary formats altogether? Jon Philips takes the position that developers should ‘do until done’:

Its good to know generally the law, but not to be encumbered by it.

Read full thread in the Create-list archives:
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/create/2007-May/000787.html