What is reverse engineering and how common is it throughout the technology industry?

Question

What is reverse engineering and how common is it throughout the technology industry?

In: 8

Answer 1

Reverse Engineering is the process of pulling something apart and testing it to figure out how it works, for the purposes of making a copy of it.

This is very common practice in the industry, but the secret is knowing how to get around patents.

Patents protect companies from someone making an exact copy of your product or technology, but once they figure out how it works clever people are able to find a different way of doing the same thing that is different enough to get around your patent.