A number of valid arguments have surfaced so far. First of all, there's the matter of IP rights and their ownership.

If I could profit by a billion (1E9) Euros tomorrow, by stealing your code, yes, I'd give it some thought, despite the fact I realize it's both immoral and illegal. If it were easy to do, well, that would become part of the equation. If I had lots of resources available, idle workers in my factory, and decided to counterfeit your product, there's probably little you could do about it until the product arrived in the marketplace. Then, of course, YOU would be saddled with the not-too-easy task of proving that I'd copied your product in a way that renders it illegal to do so. In the EU, if it looked like a copy and worked like a copy, I'd be in big trouble. In the U.S. ... well, perhaps not so much. If I were in Asia, it wouldn't get a second look.

If the device in question were a replacement part that couldn't be obtained any longer, for any of a number of reasons, a wholly different set of circumstances arises. Is there someone who can sue me if I make a copy? Even if so, would they do it? Is there legal basis?

And then, what about Jeff Post's situation, where he simply wants to understand how my product works, with no intention of replicating the invention, or appropriating the IP contained in my product for any purpose other than his own enlightenment?

The real question is, "How much suffering must I endure in order to protect my IP sufficiently?" Many products are available in BGA or other chip-scale packages that make it really difficult to discern the interconnections on a PCB without destroying the product, at least to the point at which it has to be repaired (reballed) at considerable cost.

If I can increase the potential suffering of the likely counterfeiter to the point where he really has to think whether he'd rather design his own work-alike product, I guess I've done my job.

The question this thread was addressing was not really whether it's illegal or immoral to "crack" a protected device, but, rather, whether methods of doing so should be discussed in this open forum.

I would vote NO! My reason is that the majority of people who search this forum are looking for a shortcut. I don't think it is in the interest of the majority of contributors to provide a shortcut to cloning any protected MCU. After all, most of us are engaged in producing new IP. None of us will benefit from making it easier for anyone to access IP to which we'd not give him sources and documentation outright.

RE