Data Matrix ECC 200 — format provenance and usability
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This file records where the Data Matrix ECC 200 symbology comes from, what governs
it, and the basis on which this project implements and redistributes it.

It is an ENGINEERING INVENTORY, NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Items marked [TO VERIFY]
have not been independently confirmed by the author.


ORIGIN
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Data Matrix emerged from industrial automatic-identification work
associated with International Data Matrix and later RVSI/CI Matrix in the
late 1980s and early 1990s. The exact corporate chronology and attribution
have not been independently confirmed by the author. [LEGAL REVIEW]


SPECIFICATION
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ISO/IEC 16022:2024 — Data Matrix bar code symbology specification.
Published by ISO/IEC. The specification TEXT is copyrighted by its
publisher and is paywalled; it is not reproduced here.
GS1 General Specifications and the GS1 DataMatrix Guideline govern use
of ECC 200 with a leading FNC1 and GS1 Application Identifiers.

Specification TEXT is copyrighted by its publisher. The SYMBOLOGY it
describes is not — an encoding scheme is a system, not a work of
authorship. This project implements the symbology; it does not reproduce,
redistribute or excerpt any specification document.


PATENT STATUS
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Patent rights associated with ECC 200 have been reported as released for
public use by an earlier rights holder, but the original patents, chain of
title and release terms have not been independently confirmed by the
author. [LEGAL REVIEW]


TRADEMARK
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The current registration status and ownership of the words "Data Matrix"
have not been independently established. [LEGAL REVIEW] "GS1" and "GS1
DataMatrix" are GS1 designations; their use is descriptive here and does
not imply endorsement. [LEGAL REVIEW]

A trademark does not restrict implementing a symbology. It restricts
branding — how a product names and presents itself.


IMPLEMENTATION BASIS IN THIS PROJECT
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Data Matrix ECC 200 is implemented here from published descriptions of the format,
which are systems and facts rather than works of authorship. No source
code or constant table from any other barcode implementation is copied or
shipped. Public technical material and independent implementations may be
consulted for engineering review or black-box verification; provenance is
recorded in NOTICE.md.


CONCLUSION
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This project's original implementation is distributed under the MIT
License. The ISO/IEC and GS1 references establish the technical standards;
this engineering inventory does not claim to have resolved the
patent-release or trademark entries that remain marked [LEGAL REVIEW].

References relied upon:
  - ISO/IEC 16022:2024, ISO/IEC
  - GS1 General Specifications, GS1 AISBL
  - GS1 DataMatrix Guideline, GS1 AISBL
  - Reported ECC 200 patent-release position [LEGAL REVIEW]
  - Data Matrix trademark status and ownership [LEGAL REVIEW]

This is an engineering assessment, not legal advice. Items marked
[TO VERIFY] have not been independently confirmed by the author. If your
use is commercially sensitive, obtain your own legal review.