Questions tagged [copyright]
Use this tag on questions about the copyrighting process and principles. Questions solely pertaining to general copyright are off topic.
291
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If my repository uses a MIT license, can I submit a DMCA takedown for someone who copied it?
I have an MIT-licensed repository which has been copied entirely, just replacing the author's name. I've heard that MIT takes away most copyright and permits free use, but if anyone can copy code and ...
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0
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1
answer
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How can i use pandasgui commercially if the pyqt library used is not free for commercial use?
pandasgui allows commercial use under the MIT license but I noticed the library used includes PYQT5 which is under the GPL v3 licence how is that possible ?
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5
votes
1
answer
73
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Copyright notices in a forked AGPL codebase
My workplace uses an open source project with an AGPL 3.0 license. It's been abandoned as far as I can tell – no commits for 5 years aside from a handful of contributed pull requests (the most recent ...
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1
vote
1
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59
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Copy license terms from other product?
This might not be a very "open source" question, but I thought I might find in this forum the right people for the question.
For a mortal human being creating a PDF with the license terms ...
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7
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1
answer
1k
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Who owns copyright if I place code in a repository but do not update the copyright notice?
I think my case is covered by Who will be the copyright owner of a new file in a forked repository on github?, but I want to be sure that it applies in my situation, too.
I forked a project licensed ...
user26449
0
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0
answers
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Why can't I distribute my application und a license of my choice when I accept contributions? [duplicate]
I have an app that I want to make open source, as in the literal definition of the code being public. Github says that if you don't apply a license, it's copyrighted by default. I want that, to be the ...
user26151
4
votes
2
answers
431
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Propietary licensing of open source code
I have written a program that uses several open source components. First off, it's written in python. Second, I use the modules subprocess, argparse, os and datetime.
Since my work asked me to find a ...
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2
votes
0
answers
45
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System libraries and exceptions regarding closed source distribution
There are some specific usage examples I would like to learn, regarding of using some open source libraries inside a commercial closed source product(binary, executable). Most of the answers online ...
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2
votes
1
answer
97
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Idiomatic format for a doxygen file header with license, author and copyright info?
Suppose I have taken a source file named foo.c, written by John Smith in 1999, with email address jsmith@some.where.org, which was published under the terms of, say, GPL v2. Now, I'm making some ...
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2
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0
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63
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Java Licensing Question
I have questions about Java licensing Well, after many court hearings with Oracle vs Google, I analyzed this topic again and I would like to ask you about a few things:
Oracle was accusing Google of ...
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1
vote
1
answer
108
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Using npm packages in a project and their licences
So, I'm developing a web application, and I'm using a ton of npm packages while doing that. All of those packages are free and open source, and they are distributed under common licences as MIT, GPL, ...
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3
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1
answer
83
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Mapbox Studio raster PNG tiles license (open or not?)
I have a FLOSS project using Leaflet that needs more raster base layers but we have some requirements. One of them is to only use Free Cultural works. Here the definition:
https://freedomdefined.org/...
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1
vote
1
answer
65
views
Does copyright infringement apply to user interfaces in a software?
I am making an open-source software that is an alternative version of another very popular software, Postman. The inspiration reflects mainly on user interface and concepts. No source code was copied ...
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1
vote
1
answer
114
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Can I dual license my software that is on Github with a GPLv3 license?
To my understanding, as the maker of the software, I have the right to dual licensing the software as I wish, be it both an open source license and a proprietary closed license at the same time.
...
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3
votes
1
answer
87
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Choosing License of GitHub Repository
I really don't know much about the licenses. I am working on a project which I might upload on a website. So I have a few questions.
Can someone ever steal my code and commercially use it if I put my ...
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0
votes
1
answer
108
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Can I use a license without providing a copyright notice myself?
So I googled a bit and found that a copyright notice isn't actually required anymore which I prefer as I'd rather provide a text like this:
Project is open-source and made by the following ...
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2
votes
1
answer
90
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Is commit author name stripping copyright infringement?
I'm the author of Fulguris which is in conflict with Styx. Both projects are MPL 2.0. Fulguris is a fork of the decade old Lightning and Styx is just a rebrand of Fulguris.
Styx completely destroyed ...
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2
votes
1
answer
94
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How to provide attribution when numerous contributors hold copyright
My software depends on and links to a third-party open-source library licensed under the MIT license. No copyright notice is present in the LICENSE file, the README file, or any of the source files. ...
0
votes
0
answers
46
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How can I properly relicense MIT software to MPL 2.0 properly, while maintaining proper copyright notices
I have a project, it is a Rust one.
From my understanding, with the MPL I must put a per-file header.
Must I one-by-one add the MPL header to every file (perhaps including TOML files, etc.) or what?
...
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
Will I get copyright strike for Using creative commons video if the license is changed by the owner?
Imagine that I used a person's "creative commons" licensed video for making a youtube video and uploaded it to youtube. Then after some time, the person decided to change the video's license ...
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1
vote
0
answers
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If the original author updates their program, is it now a modified work? [duplicate]
Lets say programmer Ed has made program foo and the program is licensed under the GPL license. If Ed updates his program, is that now a derivative or modified work? What if John contributes to ...
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-1
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1
answer
43
views
What copyright/permissions to use for a publicly available student paper online (GitHub)?
I have a senior year project hosted on GitHub, including CAD files, code, and a written paper (PDF) that describes my work. I would like to ask what copyright or permissions I should include on this ...
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3
votes
1
answer
129
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GPL and original author's copyright text in completely rewritten code
I'm about to release my first "big" project on Github, and although I want it to remain open-source and I have no plan of selling it, I want to try to make this licensing stuff right for my ...
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2
votes
1
answer
39
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Create a new UI for an Apache 2.0 software
I'm creating a fork of a software distributed under the Apache License 2.0. This software has many components, one of them is its UI, where It's possible to find the creator's logo and other ...
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votes
1
answer
61
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Modifying and releasing Windows-XP code [closed]
Am I legally allowed to modify (remove bloatware, rewrite functions etc.) to leaked code and release it online for free? I don't intend to license anything, it's just mostly for a personal project to ...
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2
votes
0
answers
127
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Can I use unmodified Grafana as the visualisation component of my commercial service?
In the light of the new AGPL Grafana license, can we still use unmodifed Grafana served as a docker image on cloud as the visualisation component of our commercial service?
My understanding so far is ...
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1
vote
2
answers
1k
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Can someone else copyright for themselves already copyrighted things?
I’m not sure to say about it here (but for the now it’s place most focused on law in SE). Recently I found a guy on routinehub who said that all his app is copyrighted. He made app fully and only from ...
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0
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1
answer
59
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Published & monetized apps on the Google Play Store using GitHub libraries licensed under "BSD 2-Clause "Simplified" License" and "Apache License 2.0"
I slightly modified some libraries from GitHub, published them in the form of apps on the Google Play Store and monetized them.
The libraries are licensed under "BSD 2-Clause "Simplified&...
Human
2
votes
2
answers
183
views
Should I include copyright in a minified distribution of my js file?
For example, I have a index.js file (copyrighted), I minify it using UglifyJS and store in index.min.js file, but my copyright notice is removed, should I add it again in index.min.js?
If yes, Can I ...
1
vote
1
answer
50
views
Should the license header be preceded by the copyright holder?
I'm open sourcing a proprietary codebase (license TBD, probably Apache) were all files have the header:
Copyright <company name>. All rights reserved.
Should this line be preserved in addition ...
1
vote
1
answer
70
views
MIT License for a translation
There's a software called vnpy on github that's in chinese.
We have a translated copy to english. The goal is to keep their MIT license but just for that code.
We're wondering: Should we make a ...
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4
votes
3
answers
397
views
How to properly attribute other's people work on GitHub?
I have an open source project (under GPL license) that has some parts incorporated from other projects (that use MIT and GPL), and one of the provisions of both of these licenses is The above ...
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0
votes
2
answers
68
views
Should I keep the old project's name in the copyright details after a fork?
So, given what i asked here, I was wondering if i should leave the old project's name after a fork, in the copyright detail in the code...
Essentially, I did it like so:
#Copyright 2015 by ....
#...
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2
votes
1
answer
73
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Dealing with multiple contributions in a 30+ years old software project
Context: I'm working on an old software project which dates back to 1988. I collaborate with its main author who created the program back then and originally published it under non-free license in the ...
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7
votes
1
answer
2k
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What should I do with the copyright details in a codebase when modifying it when it wasn't forked?
So essentially, I once downloaded some script off github, forgot about it, then thought "Why not modify it!" and thus now decided to push it to my github account...
Question is though, do i ...
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votes
2
answers
81
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Free Office/Libre Office/Apache Office
How Free Office / Libre Office / Apache Office resembles Microsoft Office ?
Did they committed a breach of copyright and cheated Microsoft Office?
And, why till date, Microsoft is not taking any ...
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6
votes
1
answer
109
views
Do you retain copyright in a project even if all your code has been rewritten?
If somebody has participated in an open source project, and has previously contributed several lines of source code but all those lines have now been completely rewritten and/or deleted so that all ...
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3
votes
1
answer
236
views
Can I use a logo (Image) from a GitHub repository with an MIT License?
Can I use a Logo (Image file) from Github Repository with an MIT License, without violating any copyright terms?
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0
votes
1
answer
55
views
Where to disclaim multiple third-party copyrights in project?
I am building a software that in its theoretical form would use logos from several different financial companies to enhance user experience and identification. I intend to use their websites' favicons ...
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1
vote
1
answer
86
views
What does "with modifications" mean in BSD licenses?
All BSD licenses start with the following paragraph:
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
...
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1
vote
1
answer
42
views
How to opensource code while protecting the product that runs on it
I have a project that I would like to retain copyright over conceptually while releasing the prototype code. It's a novelty digital clock. I posted some videos of the prototype online and some people ...
3
votes
1
answer
136
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Legal Aspects of Illustrations in Open Source Software (MIT License) - Adding Copyright Notice?
It's about an app that was created in a student project (in Germany) and will be soon released in the Google Play Store and also published on GitHub as OSS under the MIT license. The app features ...
3
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2
answers
639
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In the BSD license, what does "redistribution" mean?
I'm trying to understand all the responsibilities of this license.
Does redistribution mean:
publicly placing a windows .exe using the BSD licensed library for users to download on a website(free and ...
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9
votes
2
answers
1k
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Excluding open-source contributions from work-for-hire
I'm doing contract work. I'm being asked to sign a standard (AFAICT) agreement that assigns all intellectual property I create to the employer. The context of this work is typical Python and Go ...
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2
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1
answer
87
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Definition of a modified code
It may seem to be a bit silly question, but I couldn't find a strict definition that would address my specific situation (I appreciate I'm not the first to experience it though).
There's a library ...
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2
votes
1
answer
113
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Can we modify LGPLv3 license based ERP and change the license to private?
My client wants to use an opensource ERP named Odoo. However modifications like name, UI and languages support would be required. Also the license need to be private onwards
If it is permissible under ...
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4
votes
1
answer
169
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Custom Linux distro Copyright and license notices
I am developing a commercial product that ships with a custom embedded Linux distro (similar to Yocto), and am in the process of collecting the copyright and license notices to comply with the GPL ...
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0
votes
1
answer
75
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Can a CLA be agreed to implicitly, like a license?
For license on software, users who download the software must abide by the license, usually in something like a LICENSE file. I don't need to ask them to fax me a signed document or anything.
For CLAs,...
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vote
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What if a project forks a number of projects, but doesn't include the license or copyright that was used -- then another project forks the fork?
So it can be fairly established that this is infringement of copyright, but I'm unsure how to handle this. I've considered making a PR to the project that forked the other projects and adding the ...
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0
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0
answers
30
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Software license for non-commerical reproducible research [duplicate]
I am a researcher at a university with a guest status. I am not employed though and the work I do is my own. The software I develop belongs to me. For reproducible research I want to publish some of ...
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