Re: [MLUG] stealing a GPL'd project

[Brandon West <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

What's the point of the GPL then?

Yes, you own the copyright (if you don't you should), just putting a (c) 
next to it doesn't copyright it. When you GPL something you offer the GPL 
license which gives you legal permission through the GPL to distribute 
it. AFAIK, then anyone can modify it for their own use. If said person 
mods the "unfinished" work on his own time and posts it to a website, then 
in reality you should calm down and do one of two things 1)spend lots of 
money fighting it, 2) don't GPL your work.

If said person is modifying existing GPL code for your project and 
released it, you don't own the copyright. You have the right to fire him, 
but you can't make him take the work down from his personal website.

Quote from gnu.org

"The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to 
share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is 
intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to 
make sure the software is free for all its users."

> From what you described, it seems like you really don't enjoy the spirit 
of GPL. However, there are advantages to the post of the code. Now you 
have many people who you don't pay looking at the code and helping it 
along. It may not be _exactly_ what you want, but it's GPL.

Think about RedHat. I'm sure they don't like CentOS re-compiling RHEL for 
free, but they had to make the SRPM's available becasue the code is free.

If he is a contractor, and you didn't have him sign a non-disclosure 
agreement (like I had to do as a contractor to a major national lab), then 
there may not be much of a leg to stand on.

my $.02

--Brandon

Remembering you're not yourself is easy. Forgetting to remember that you 
aren't remembering if you are yourself is slightly harder.

On Tue, 17 Apr 2007, Mike Miller wrote:

> Here's a question:  Suppose you hire programmers and you want them to develop 
> some software for you that is to be distributed under the GPL. One of the 
> programmers decides that it is "done enough" for his taste so he posts the 
> source code on the web for all to see.  You are mortified because you don't 
> think it is anywhere near ready for public consumption.
>
> My question is about legal recourse.  You obviously can fire the guy, but is 
> that all?  Suppose he wants to keep it up on the web when you want him to 
> take it down?  There must be a way to force him to take it down (even though 
> it might have been copied and distributed).
>
> Related to this -- suppose the errant programmer puts his own name down as 
> the copyright holder.  What do you have to do to get it back?  Maybe you'd 
> have to sue the guy.  It sounds like a real nightmare no matter what.
>
> Mike
>
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