Minolta releases SCSI specs!

David Rose (David.R.Rose@disney.com)
Tue, 21 Dec 1999 11:03:33 -0800 (PST)

I've been in communication with Minolta for well over a year regarding
the release of the SCSI programming specs for their scanners. Today
it looks like they finally came through.

I received an email today, that reads (in part):

> We think we found a solution to help you. Minolta is, at last,
> ready to disclose film scanner SCSI protocol specifications
> for customers who requested such information free-of-charge
> basis. SCSI protocol specifications for Dimage Scan Dual,
> Dimage Scan Speed, Dimage Scan Elite and Dimage Scan
> Multi are made available.

They will release the specs to me under NDA. It looks like a fairly
standard NDA to me (I'm not to show the specs to anyone or use them
for any purpose other than to write a driver, they don't guarantee
it's correct or promise to provide support, yadda yadda yadda).

However, it does have one clause that concerns me. It reads:

"The Receiving Party [the programmer] shall indemnify, hold harmless,
and defend the Disclosing Party [Minolta] from and against any claims,
liabilities, damages and suits, including reasonable attorney's fees,
that arise or are related to any program created under this
Declaration."

It's the bit about defending Minolta that troubles me. This seems to
suggest that if someone cooks their scanner using my driver and sues
Minolta about it, I'm responsible for Minolta's legal fees. While I
suppose that's only fair, it's troubling, since naturally I don't have
money to spare for Minolta's laywers. Have any other people
experienced or had to deal with similar clauses in NDA's with other
companies?

David

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