Using clean room design procedures to reduce the legal risk involved in the creation of functionally compatible products

A description is given of a development method, known as a clean room approach, which greatly reduces the legal risks involved in the design of functionally compatible products. These procedures have been tested both in court and in a variety of real-world design environments. It is suggested that any company which is engaged in the design of functionally compatible products and has had access to a competitor´s copyrighted material or trade secrets should consider adopting design procedures such as those described here.<>