Questions tagged [copyright]
For questions about the copyrighting process and principles. Questions solely pertaining to general copyright are off topic.
360 questions
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How can I use programming documentation without infringing copyright?
I have a really hard time understanding how can I use copyrighted programming documentation, tutorials, articles, blogs, etc. presented as text or video, without infringing copyright?
I will explain ...
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4
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2
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319
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Is copyright of a contribution to a BSD 2-clause project automatically assigned to the project's copyright owner?
The 2-clause BSD licence includes the clause:
Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
What implications does this ...
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4
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license: is a correctness proof of a piece of code a derivative of the code
Suppose you take a piece of GPL code and write an English document sketching a proof of correctness of the code. Would your document be considered a derivative of the code. Can it only be distributed ...
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3
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Time limit to supply source code under GPL
About a week ago I found some commercial software that is closed source using two GPL v2 licensed packages in the binaries. I emailed the company back and forth and they finally agreed that they would ...
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6
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2
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Copyright holder in R packages
I am developing an R package and distribute it under the GPL-2 license by submitting it to CRAN. According to CRAN's Writing R extensions, i am the author and maintainer of the source code.
The R ...
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3
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What licenses and copyright notices I should include with dynamically linked libstdc++ and how to do it properly?
While libstdc++ (and GCC) is licensed under GPLv3 + GCC Runtime Library Exception, and glibc is under LGPLv2.1, the header files (see, for example, <memory> and <vector> for libstdc++-v3) ...
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How to fill the "name of copyright owner" in the license, if there are multiple authors?
There is an open source project, licensed under Apache License 2.0. It is abandoned, so I would like to fork it, do some significant modifications, and publish it again as an open source project, ...
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0
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226
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Copyright issue of the interface of Windows Notepad [closed]
I'm developing Windows application. It is crypto-functioning notepad.
And its design(UI interface) is almost(approx 90%?) same with Microsoft Windows Notepad.
Differences are only some buttons and ...
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3
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1
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325
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GPL/BSD-like Dual license add special clauses to the GPL
Quick question: I would like to publish a software under a self-written BSD-like license, and under the GPLv3. So far so good.
If somebody would fork said project according to the GPL, I would, in my ...
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0
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1
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What can I assume about the copyrightablity of a certain method of doing something programatically appearing on multiple websites
Hypothetical Scenario:
Lets say that, I need to find a way to delete an image from a list of images in a Java program. I go online to learn how to delete an image programmatically, and as I am ...
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How can I license my GitHub Page hosted in a open-source template?
Let's assume the following situation:
I have created a personal blog hosted on Github Pages, based in a modified version of a template from HTML5UP, which is available for free for personal and ...
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6
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3
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275
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How prohibitive is this Intel copyright clause in Microsoft Windows SDK sources?
We have an open source project going on Github and so far, have been able to comply with all licensing terms and conditions of libraries used, to the best of our knowledge.
Today when debugging, I ...
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5
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2
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103
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Is Flameshot mislabeled on the Ubuntu Software Center?
Recently, I have seen Flameshot labeled as proprietary on the Ubuntu Software Center:
(german text, "Proprietär" means "proprietary")
Is Flameshot mislabeled on the Software Center, as it's official ...
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3
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372
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Modifying and Using Open Source Software licensed under GNU Lesser General Public License, v2.1
TL;DR:
Is it legal to use a modified version of the product licensed under LGPL 2.1, for commercial purposes and without the permission of the author (because the authors cannot be reached), and ...
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6
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242
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How do I use GNU licensed code copyrighted by the original author?
I am writing open-source code based on another author's open-source code. The original author licensed the code under the GNU Public License and copyrighted it under his name. I am, of course, ...
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2
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if a company rewards the use of software, which license should apply? [closed]
I need to develop free software for a company. The company will reward me with 8% of the profits. I have to give the source code to the company so that they can modify it if necessary. Is there a ...
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Can I skip the end of term for my license in the preamble of my source code?
I have a software for which I set the license at the beginning of each file. The model I have is the following:
// ************************************************************************** //
//
// ...
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1
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1
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74
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What licensing should I include or consider if I am building a program in Python and a range of PyPi libraries?
The program I am building for our production system relies heavily and Python and a few libraries such as pandas, flask, jupyter and pillow. I have observed that the licensing tied to them are mainly ...
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4
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284
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Copyright of scientific figures
Hope this question fit well in this community.
Suppose that I create a scientific figure using some programs, e.g., Matlab/Python from some data. However, the programs script for generating the data ...
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4
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0
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337
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Copyright notice in the binaries of a library
I'm building a library that is based on a modified version of an already existing source released under the GPLv2 license.
I'm modifying each files of the original project to adapt it to my needs, ...
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2
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1
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2k
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Do I need to display copyright information of third-party libraries?
My software project is using several third party libraries which have different licenses (LGPL, MIT, BSD). I distribute the dlls of those libraries, and I understand that I need to give license ...
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5
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565
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Open-source license that should aware if I want monetize my project
I'm creating a website. Some of functionaly is using open-source libraries from npm, github, etc.
I want to monetize my sites using ads, or even I want to create some sites template and sell to ...
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3
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Distributing MIT application with GPLv3 plugin without releasing source for MIT application
We have a MIT licensed application which we sell packed under virtual appliance to our customers. the application has a marketplace where users can download and install additional plugins.
We wish to ...
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2
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450
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Can the developer of GPL software assert copyright/usage claims over assets generated with that software?
Given that I create a 3d model of a tree using a GPL plugin in GPL 3D software (Blender). The addon generates this 3d tree model from scratch, using an algorithm. No other external assets are used.
...
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2
votes
1
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168
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Do you require contributors to your open source code to assign copyright?
I'm in the process of writing an open-source application. It is not yet ready for public consumption, but I am building up to releasing it. One thing I wondered was if you required contributors to ...
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4
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102
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Copyright of proprietary code created by author of MIT licensed code
I have employed a developer for a project who has developed a CMS platform and licensed it under MIT license.
Now that developer is going to use that MIT licensed CMS in my project. No problem.
The ...
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0
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1
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108
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Can the fine print (ToS) of Github permit them to seize copyright of my code if someone else uploaded it? [duplicate]
I was alarmed to see that someone uploaded one of my old GPL'd projects to Github. I don't use Github or any other Microsoft product. Github has refused to remove it however, and suggests I contact ...
user15474
2
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1
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224
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What do I need the company I work for to do to open source a program I wrote for them?
I would like to open-source a program I wrote for my employer. As I understand it, this is a “work for hire” (at least in the United States) since I wrote the code for them and on their time. This ...
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2
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0
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Selecting the right licensing model
I'm trying to select the correct licensing model for training content I create and currently host on Github. The content may be migrated in the future to another hosting platform or be converted to a ...
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101
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Including copyrighted specifications in an MIT-licensed project
I am working on a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), library released under an MIT license, however, the sources contain XML specifications which are owned by the Bluetooth SIG.
As an example, here is an ...
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5
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596
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Can someone else patent an invention that I have introduced in my open source project?
Is open source protected in any way if I haven't filed for a patent myself? Maybe a specific license?
Any examples of open source projects that introduced 'inventions' that could be patented (but they ...
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391
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As the owner of a GPLv3 project, what type of restrictions will be placed on me if I accept contributions?
For example, will accepting someone's copyrighted contribution prohibit me from changing the license, accepting donations towards the project, or anything else?
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333
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Can I use and distrubute code posted on JSFiddle
I'd like to use code posted on JSFiddle in a project but do I have permission to do so?
I read the terms of service
but they do not mention anything about licensing the code they host. Instead its ...
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3
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1
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266
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What year to use copyright - current year or library build year?
When attributing open source software, do you always default to the current year or the year that the library you are using was built?
For example, I'm using MIT licensed software from a build in ...
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3
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78
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Are downloaded data automatically licensed?
If a purely Apache v2 licensed software automatically downloads data files from its copyright holder's website without asking the user, does that automatically grant Apache v2 license to the ...
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Are there legal reasons blocking the use of Apache 2 License in France
A French citizen has suggested that there are legal reasons why he cannot contribute to a project using the Apache 2 license.
I responded saying:
French people have contributed to such things ...
5
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1
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84
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MIT License for a jointly developed website
My friend and I developed an open-source non-commercial website which we would like to publish with MIT license.
Mit License starts with words
Copyright (c) [year] [fullname]
Is it OK to write both ...
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3
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1
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119
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If I just look up a solution for a programming problem do I need to cite the source?
For example, I needed to implement my own pagination system, but I did not know the logic behind a system like that, so I would look up how to do it and then after understading how to do it I would ...
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Do permissive or copyleft licenses have a limited term based on US copyright law?
If you write a book, the copyright for that work is protected for a long time, but the work will eventually enter the public domain under US copyright law. Does the same thing apply to pieces of ...
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3
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1
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104
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Recreating assets from closed source projects
Recently I'm working on a game, where I have created some asset from closed source project.
To be honest I actually re-created assets similar identical to hill climb.
Now if I use those or I use ...
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29
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4
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8k
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Is it legal to have the "// (c) 2019 John Smith" header in all files when there are hundreds of contributors?
Companies use headers like
// Copyright 2011 The Go Authors.
But countless projects with a single maintainer have
// Copyright 2011 John Smith
even though they have hundreds of contributors, all ...
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Copyright notices and multiple developers
Suppose a big project with GPL license has several developers, most of whom working on a few source files. Is it appropriate/possible that the copyright notice in each source file include only the ...
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368
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Can CC0 works be called "Copyright free"?
When a work is the Public domain it is "free of any copyright" so it can be called "Copyright free".
When I use the CC0 license I am waiving off all of rights and dedicating it to the public domain.
...
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889
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Can I use a company's name in my open-source project?
I'm developing a small open-source plugin for a fairly well known CMS, which as far as I can tell has a trademark on the product and company name. It's starting to get a bit of traction, so I'm in the ...
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388
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Modifying the copyright statement in WTFPL
A project I am following uses the WTFPL but updated the text to replace the copyright statement
Copyright (C) 2004 Sam Hocevar <[email protected]>
with the project author's name and email ...
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4
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2
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168
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Release GPL/Open version of project, still sell proprietary license?
Having witnessed projects such as LUFA, which are open source with the MIT license but still have a purchase button for a proprietary license of the toolbox (revoking the MIT License and offering ...
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109
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BSL Copyright Notice
According to the BSL using Boost requires
The copyright notices in the Software [...] must be included in all copies of the Software, in whole or in part, and all derivative works of the Software, ...
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119
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What is the license of the Debian Live ISO binary since it is an aggregate work?
A Debian CD or DVD ISO file - here is an example - consists of many different packages containing software licenses under various licenses such as GPLv2, GPLv3, BSD, and a lot of other licenses.
The ...
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466
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How should I identify myself in a copyright notice / license?
(migrated from programmers.SX)
I'm placing a copyright notice with some (FOSS) license in a LICENSE file in a software package I'm publishing; or it's a license block in a source file.
It starts like ...
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2
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1
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975
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If there is no copyright notice, is the license applied?
On a project I noticed that it has a LICENSE file, apparently put in place as template when the project was initialized by Github. The file contains the standard GPLv2 template but no copyright notice....
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