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Legal Information & Interoperability Notice

Last updated: January 2026

EP-PatchStudio is developed independently by SquareWave Studio to provide enhanced functionality for Teenage Engineering EP series hardware devices. This page explains the legal basis for our software and our commitment to compliance with EU copyright law.

1. Independent Development

EP-PatchStudio is developed independently by SquareWave Studio (Photon Consulting Limited) to provide enhanced functionality for Teenage Engineering EP series hardware devices, including the EP-40 Riddim, EP-133 K.O. II and EP-1320 Medieval.

Our software creates interoperability with these devices through protocol analysis and reverse engineering conducted in accordance with applicable law.

2. Interoperability Under EU Law

This software is created through lawful reverse engineering for interoperability purposes, as explicitly permitted under European Union copyright law:

EU DirectiveEU Directive 2009/24/EC Article 6

The Software Directive provides an unwaivable right to reverse engineer and analyse software for the purpose of creating interoperable products. This right applies across all EU member states.

EU DirectiveEU Directive 2016/943, Recital 16

The Trade Secrets Directive confirms that reverse engineering of lawfully acquired products is lawful for interoperability purposes.

Case LawSAS Institute Inc. v. World Programming Ltd. (C-406/10)

This landmark 2012 CJEU ruling established that functionality, programming languages and file formats are not protected by copyright. Commercial interoperability tools are explicitly lawful under EU law.

These EU directives provide statutory protection that cannot be waived by licence agreements or contractual provisions (Article 6(3) of Directive 2009/24/EC).

3. What This Means

Protocol Analysis

We discovered the MIDI SysEx communication protocol used by EP devices through lawful observation of device behaviour—not by decompiling or copying proprietary software. All protocol discovery was conducted through:

  • Black-box testing of devices we lawfully purchased
  • Monitoring MIDI communication between device and host
  • Analysing file formats from user-created content
  • Studying publicly available technical specifications (MIDI 1.0, RIFF/WAV)

File Format Analysis

The TNGE multisample format is based on standard RIFF/WAV containers with JSON metadata. We analysed this format from:

  • User-created files and official factory samples
  • Public RIFF/WAV format specifications
  • Analysis of 471 official factory samples to understand structure

Original Implementation

All code in EP-PatchStudio is written from scratch by our development team:

  • No code copied, translated, or derived from Teenage Engineering's software
  • Independent algorithmic implementations
  • Original user interface design and workflow
  • Extensive documentation showing independent development process

Clean-Room Development

Our development process maintains strict separation between protocol observation and code implementation, ensuring completely independent creation. We maintain extensive documentation of this clean-room process.

4. No Affiliation with Teenage Engineering

Important Disclaimer:

EP-PatchStudio is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Teenage Engineering AB.

  • We are an independent software developer
  • We have no commercial relationship with Teenage Engineering
  • Teenage Engineering is not responsible for EP-PatchStudio's functionality or support
  • Support requests should be directed to SquareWave Studio, not Teenage Engineering
  • We have proactively communicated with Teenage Engineering about this project

5. Trademark Notice

"Teenage Engineering", "EP-40 Riddim", "EP-133 K.O. II" and "EP-1320 Medieval" are trademarks of Teenage Engineering AB. Use of these names in our software and documentation is solely for descriptive purposes to indicate device compatibility and does not imply endorsement or affiliation.

"EP-PatchStudio" and "SquareWave Studio" are trademarks of Photon Consulting Limited.

6. Your Rights and Responsibilities

What You Can Do:

  • Use EP-PatchStudio to create multisamples for your EP devices
  • Transfer files to and from devices you own
  • Create backups of your device data
  • Share your created content (subject to your own copyright)
  • Use the software for personal or commercial music production

What You Cannot Do:

  • Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble EP-PatchStudio software
  • Use this software to infringe Teenage Engineering's intellectual property
  • Modify or distribute the EP-PatchStudio application without authorization
  • Remove or alter licence protections or proprietary notices
  • Misrepresent that EP-PatchStudio is affiliated with or endorsed by Teenage Engineering

7. Our Commitment to Compliance

SquareWave Studio is committed to operating within all applicable laws and regulations:

  • We maintain extensive documentation of our clean-room development process
  • We have consulted with intellectual property lawyers on our legal obligations
  • We respect Teenage Engineering's intellectual property rights
  • We are open to dialogue with Teenage Engineering regarding any concerns
  • We comply with EU copyright law, trade secret law and GDPR

8. Jurisdiction & Applicable Law

SquareWave Studio (Photon Consulting Limited) is based in Ireland, an EU member state. Teenage Engineering AB is based in Sweden, also an EU member state. Both jurisdictions have implemented EU Directive 2009/24/EC with identical interoperability protections.

This software is developed in accordance with:

  • Irish Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 (implementing EU directives)
  • Swedish Copyright Act (Upphovsrättslagen 1960:729)
  • EU-wide harmonised copyright law for software

9. Frequently Asked Questions

Is this legal? Can I use this without worrying?

Yes. EP-PatchStudio is developed under EU copyright law provisions that explicitly permit reverse engineering for interoperability (Directive 2009/24/EC Article 6). This is the same legal basis used by thousands of software products that work with third-party hardware and software. You can use EP-PatchStudio with confidence.

Does Teenage Engineering approve of this?

We've proactively communicated with Teenage Engineering about this project. While we don't have explicit endorsement (we're independent), we've received positive responses and no objections. TE's focus is on hardware and they've historically been supportive of the creative community. Any issues or support questions should come to us, not to Teenage Engineering.

Will this work if TE updates their firmware?

EP-PatchStudio communicates with devices using the standard MIDI SysEx protocol. Unless TE fundamentally changes their protocol (unlikely), firmware updates shouldn't affect compatibility. If changes do occur, we'll update EP-PatchStudio to maintain compatibility.

What if TE asks you to stop?

Under EU law (which applies to both us in Ireland and TE in Sweden), we have an unwaivable right to create interoperability software. This right is protected by statute and confirmed by case law (SAS v. WPL, CJEU 2012). However, we value positive relationships in the music tech community and are open to dialogue and collaboration if TE has concerns or suggestions.

Does my licence violate any terms?

No. Your licence is with SquareWave Studio, not Teenage Engineering. You're not violating any terms by using software that communicates with hardware you own. This is the same as using any third-party software (like a DAW, sample editor, or file manager) with your music hardware.

10. Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions about the legal basis of this software, concerns about intellectual property, or general inquiries:

Contact Us:

Legal inquiries: legal@squarewave.studio

General support: joe@squarewave.studio

We are committed to transparency and compliance. We maintain extensive documentation of our development process and are happy to address any concerns about our legal position.

For additional legal information, please see our Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Licence Agreement, and Refund Policy.