Use this tag on questions about the copyrighting process and principles. Questions solely pertaining to general copyright are off topic.
0
votes
0answers
8 views
Whether to open source a specific project
As the owner of a company that has a Web application, I would like to make that code freely available for people to contribute code to.
There are several places where this is a specific application, ...
5
votes
1answer
68 views
How to use software published under MIT without copyright notice?
MIT License says:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
However, a few repositories do not have any ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Can one get all copyrights on derivative software if one add enough new code?
According to german law, can one get all copyrights on software derivative if one added enough new code?
if yes, how is the "percentage of new code" measured?
if yes, are there such paragraphs in ...
2
votes
1answer
29 views
Can i use a GPLv2 module in my commercial application?
I am developing a commercial wordpress plugin. There is a form module that i have to develop however, i found one already built under GPL2 here
https://github.com/weDevsOfficial/weforms
All other ...
1
vote
4answers
83 views
Declaring copyright anonymously
I want to release some software anonymously.
My first idea was to release it to the public domain, but I have found out that it is not a safe practice due to incompatibilities with the legislation of ...
0
votes
0answers
12 views
can I use CC BY-SA 3.0 media (pictures) in a software partly licensed under a non-derivative license?
I am working on a software wich contains graphics i didn't make that are licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
since the software contains other parts I didn't make, I want to put it under two different ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Can I use my username in copyright?
I am releasing a program under the GNU GPL v3.0. I need to include a copyright notice.
Is it ok to use my username in the copyright notice as I don't want to use my real name?
10
votes
1answer
129 views
Can a GitHub Organization assert copyright?
I started an OSS project with a fellow coding enthusiast in 2014 (that has since pretty much left the project, although as far as I can tell he's still following everything that's going on). Since the ...
3
votes
1answer
26 views
How to handle the copyright notice of a BSD 3-clause licence when modifying it
If I take some BSD 3-claused code and modify it, do I then have the right to place my own copyright under the original author's copyright notice?
I.e.
BSD 3-Clause License
Copyright (c) 2018, ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
How accept contributions from people who don't know what a Pull Request is?
Someone sent me [ a translation to a new language ] of the open source software I'm developing. He attached the translation messages file to a private message in the discussion forum I've setup for ...
2
votes
1answer
63 views
Using a person's name for an open source project
I'm looking for a name to give my open-source and non-profit project that will best represent its purpose. Presently, the ideal name for the project would be the name of a certain individual (Ken ...
2
votes
1answer
141 views
Commercial print (shirt) of GitHub repository
GitHub offers a list of 33 licenses:
Academic Free License v3.0 afl-3.0
Apache license 2.0 apache-2.0
Artistic license 2.0 artistic-2.0
Boost Software License 1.0 bs1-1.0
BSD 2-clause "Simplified" ...
-1
votes
1answer
53 views
Can I commercially use a fixed source code distributed under GPL?
There is this source code on github (a PHP class, around 200 lines of code) distributed under GPL license which has some bugs and is not useful to me unless those bugs are fixed. If I fix those bugs, ...
0
votes
2answers
25 views
Change text of original author
I am thinking about using this library: https://github.com/rxi/classic/blob/master/classic.lua
and I have a question regarding the first few lines:
--
-- classic
--
-- Copyright (c) 2014, rxi
--
-- ...
4
votes
1answer
37 views
Modifying file without copyright under Apache 2.0
I'd like to use a modified version of certain file from an open source project that is licensed under the Apache 2.0.
The file itself doesn't contain copyright notice neither the project does.
Now, I ...
3
votes
1answer
45 views
What license is the text of “Unlicense” licensed under?
If I want to license my software under the term of Unlicense, I'm supposed to include its text in a file and place the file in the repository alongside my project. When I distribute the project, I'm ...
1
vote
1answer
66 views
How do you copyright/license software based on MIT-licensed open source code?
I am a former developer that codes in my spare time for fun and to maintain some level knowledge in the subject. So I found an interesting proof of concept online. I saw the potential to modify it and ...
5
votes
1answer
84 views
Quoting your own content (in your own work, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0) to avoid licensing it
Bob writes an article and licenses it under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Certain laws can permit Bob to include someone else’s content in his article, even if this content isn’t compatibly licensed. For example, ...
1
vote
0answers
34 views
Should I put PATENTS file to build folder
There is an editor Draft.js. It's licensed under the BSD-style License. Every file in the source code has a copyright notice. Here is a piece of that notice:
* This source code is licensed under the ...
3
votes
1answer
42 views
Is there an existing license that is copy-left by default, but allows use in proprietary software through case-by-case negotiation?
I'm looking for a license which is designed such that anyone can use my code so long as the license they release it under is copy-left. However, I'd also like to be able to license my code out for ...
2
votes
1answer
70 views
Does reading code and re-implementing the logic, and releasing under your name count as a licensing violation of MIT?
I'm not clear on what counts as a "copy" in the case of code.
If I read your code, that was MIT licensed, implement a similar logic on my own and use no code fragments from the original author, does ...
2
votes
3answers
84 views
Avoiding copycats when open sourcing website
I run a free website that lets users pull data out of a database that I maintain. Sometimes users make suggestions as to improvements to existing reports or new reports they would like to see. While ...
0
votes
3answers
69 views
Are you allowed to use open source content as your own?
Can you simply just take open-souce content and use it as your own?
I have seen this a lot of times.
For example, this tutorial http://slashtutorial.com/rust/ was taken from https://github.com/...
8
votes
1answer
79 views
DCMA Takedown Notice received for distributing software licensed under Apache 2.0
A browser plugin was removed from one of the app stores last year as it had stopped working, and the author was no longer maintaining it in favor of their standalone desktop apps. I preferred using ...
6
votes
1answer
89 views
Can I remove some copyright holders from headers and replace them by a generic “and contributors”?
The project I'm involved in currently has headers of the following form:
The X Development Team
Organization A - Organization B - Organization C - Copyright 1999-2018
This file is distributed under ...
1
vote
1answer
23 views
How to release small part of my code as an opensource plugin to allow free reuse (including by myself at my work)
I am working with Unity3D on a commercial project, and have found that some vital part of working with social accounts is not implemented, namely - authorized API calls. I am almost done implementing ...
3
votes
2answers
84 views
Is it possible to transfer an MIT license?
Let's say that I have an MIT license on some open source software I created. I understand that with an MIT license, I need to state the license information in certain points of a code. I was wondering ...
0
votes
1answer
214 views
What's the usual procedure when using MIT or BSD-2-Clause licensed source code with something like `<script src="…`, `require(…` or `import …`?
This is not a legal question. It might touch the legal aspects around Open Source licenses but I need general help understanding how they work and what the usual procedure is.
Part 1 of my question: ...
0
votes
1answer
66 views
Is a custom license enforcable? [duplicate]
I have written my own license recently which can be found here. If I applied my licence to my work (in the same way I'd apply the MIT license on a GitHub repo for example) would my license be valid ...
2
votes
1answer
253 views
Removing copyright from the footer of a website theme
I have a WordPress theme developed by GoDaddy (license: GPL-2.0).
The footer of all pages has this copyright:
Primer WordPress theme by GoDaddy.
I want to remove it, is it allowed?
I have made ...
3
votes
1answer
53 views
Using CC BY-SA images in commercial print
I have created a custom set of playing cards and I want to use Wikimedia Commons pictures released as CC BY-SA 3.0 DE as illustration on the cards. Every card uses one picture. The pictures are not ...
2
votes
0answers
35 views
Getting rid of copyrighted work with incremental rewrite [duplicate]
I wrote an open source software (BSD-licensed) for my company, developed during business days and hours. The copyright belongs to my company.
Now for some reason my company is no longer interested in ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
How to legally use Jekyll themes by others?
I realize this may be an extremely basic question, but I'm confused about the legal issues that come with starting a blog and using a theme. I want to use the Clean Blog theme (by BlackrockDigital). ...
1
vote
1answer
62 views
Can I use small part of graphic in my GitHub project? [closed]
I am trying to make my small open-source web project for training purpose and put it on GitHub.
I wanted to use frame from the existing game, but I don't know if I will have any issues from it.
...
1
vote
1answer
58 views
What to do if I can't find the copyright when using an open source library
I'm using an open source library to develop an application. The library is under the Apache 2.0 license.
The license says you need to put a copy of the license and of the copyright into the software ...
2
votes
1answer
131 views
Can I change the copyright license, with this text in the CLA?
If I include this in the Contributor License Agreement (CLA) for an open source project I'm doing:
(the following is from Apache's individual CLA)
Grant of Copyright License. Subject to the terms ...
4
votes
1answer
86 views
Splitting a project into copyright and copyleft
Say I've been working on this java project for over a year, and it's necessary for this project to reference a GNU GPL licensed software library somewhere in there, then the whole thing suddenly poof ...
4
votes
1answer
74 views
Why copyright notices in source files?
Why does everybody writes the copyright notice on the top of a source file? Isn't LICENSE file in the root of the package enough?
5
votes
1answer
97 views
Can I assign a 2nd copyright to my employer
We are using some of my pre-existing, personally copyrighted open source software libraries at my employer. Recently they have asked me to "fix" the copyright so that it is theirs.
I have no ...
7
votes
1answer
84 views
Copyright assignments in Germany
When contributing to some of their projects, the FSF requires you to assign the copyright to your work to the FSF. As I'm German, I'm interested in whether this is compatible with German law.
German ...
0
votes
2answers
119 views
Why boilerplates are created from scratch, not forked?
I've checked couple dozens popular boilerplates (react, react-native, nodejs) and neither of them are forks from other boilerplates.
Am i missing something? why are people writing them from scratch ...
-1
votes
1answer
39 views
Donations for an open source project that is based on other strategy game
I have a question about donations to an open source project that is based on an old strategy game from 90 years (they have own developers and own big publishers and even sells in Steam now).
So we ...
7
votes
1answer
53 views
Is code generated from an interface definition file a derivative work?
Is stub code generated from an IDL file or a protobuf definition file a derivative work?
This has come up recently in a developer discussion between several partner companies.
Background:
We use a ...
-3
votes
1answer
128 views
I want to make an Android app like Calm/ Meditation Music/ Study Music. May I use their sound? [closed]
Can I use their sound in my app?
Is there any way I can use their sound and not violate copyright?
3
votes
2answers
163 views
Handling copyright infringement in your own open source project
What do you do if you discover that some part of your own open source project infringes copyright?
Consider the following hypothetical situation. An open source project's maintainer finds code in his ...
2
votes
1answer
41 views
Copyright on files copied from other Open Source project to my Open Source
I'm working on Open Source Java library. I don't want to waste time writing classes that Spring framework already has. I want to copy single files from Spring Framework and refactor it to cut ...
11
votes
1answer
402 views
How to deal with copyright infringement on GitHub
I have a public repository on GitHub. Some of the code was copy-and-pasted into another repository without keeping Licence headers and without any other back-linking to the original repository.
How ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
May I Use Graphics From Proprietary Games in FOSS?
May I use images made from NES game screenshots (Mario, Pac-Man) in an Open Source Project?
E.g. these are for "Error happened" events:
Notes:
Pac-Man seems to be not from a game screenshot, but ...
7
votes
1answer
97 views
Projects which require copyright assignment from contributors?
I read the following in ØMQ - The Guide (in Chapter 6, in the section Licensing and Ownership):
All patches are owned by their authors. There SHALL NOT be any copyright assignment process.
...
3
votes
1answer
560 views
Why do licenses such as the MIT License specify a single year?
From opensource.org, the first line of the license reads,
Copyright <YEAR> <COPYRIGHT HOLDER>
If the development goes across January 1, or a repository consists of sources written in ...
