Questions tagged [copyright]
Use this tag on questions about the copyrighting process and principles. Questions solely pertaining to general copyright are off topic.
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What does a web API entails if it's licensed under MIT? Do I have to credit the API if I use it in my app?
I have trouble understanding if a web api must be credited if it's under the MIT license. I'm technically only calling the API so I'm not modify the API code. It seems to my understanding that it is ...
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Is this normal? Intermediate client is not willing to provide license terms and not willing that I appear as the author
An intermediate client (say software agency) requested me to develop a plugin for a popular system. She is selling this to the final client.
Full story is here in this other question: Can I publish a ...
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Validity of agreement to Copyright/CLA via Pull Request merging with agreement text
I have contributed heavily to a open-source github repository and they are licensed under the CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license (Which isn't really an open-source license). Each of my contributions was merged ...
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License description for repository that uses a template under MIT license
Assume that I use a template repository on GitHub (e.g., https://github.com/actions/typescript-action), make a tool, and publish it on GitHub under MIT license.
However, obviously I need to show the ...
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Copyright considerations for using IEC standard in open-source code
I'd like to create an open-source database of electronic components and their standard, manufacturer-independent attributes. So, for example, a user could query the manufacturer part number for a ...
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141
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Is this MSDN code free for commercial use?
I found this article on the msdn magazine and would like to use the code included in there in a commercial program. Is this allowed?
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/msdn-magazine/2017/october/...
user20656
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532
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How to sub-license a modified MIT licensed project as a copyright?
I searched for this question over the internet but with no success.
I got a MIT licensed python library and did my modifications to fit my necessities. I want this new version to be a copyright with ...
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Is Microsoft in compliance with MIT license for .Net Core?
I noticed that Microsoft claims to apply an MIT license to their .NET core code, which appears to contain a variance:
Copyright (c) .NET Foundation and Contributors
Whereas the opensource.org MIT ...
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522
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Is the QWERTY keyboard layout proprietary?
Is the keyboard layout QWERTY proprietary? Can one use it in their own keyboard apps without buying a license? If no, are there any non-proprietary keyboard layouts?
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Can a company circumvent the freedom of distribution on GPL software for its employees or service providers?
This post contains various related questions, but I think it's needed to solve my doubts properly.
As far as I know if I can access a free software I have the freedom to run, study, modify and ...
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Shapefiles in R maps package (GPL-2)
I hope this is the right forum for this question, I came her form stackoverflow. I would like to include some world maps in my academic publication. As the title suggests, I am working with the maps ...
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How much changes to open source code is needed to remove the //Copyright (c) 2017 notice, or can it never be removed
As the question state. When using open source code and there is a // Copyright (c) 2017 xxxxx in the file.
I know I must keep the notice but if I change the code a bit or much do I always keep it or ...
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Is it OK to use unlicensed GitHub code in a thesis, by having explicit permission to do so?
I am writing my Master Thesis. I used code from GitHub for my application and did modifications and extended its functionality to adjust my requirements. I am also citing the code in my own code and ...
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Does every adaptation of a CC BY-SA work violate its terms?
I read somewhere (I cannot recall where) that licensing a work under a Creative Commons license (or any license, really) is like adding a second license on top of the "license" that ...
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659
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How should copyright notices be included when distributing source of modified Apache 2.0 code commercially?
A company wants to distribute a product which includes a browser extension. A browser extension is implemented in JavaScript, so it's distributed in source code form.
Parts of extension are written by ...
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142
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Confused by html2canvas library's license
I was planning to use html2canvas
The license is really confusing to me, as it's never stated which parts are for Microsoft, which are not and if the whole code is licensed under MIT, as it also ...
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Does learning boilerplate code from a project with a restrictive license make my own work derivative?
I have an application I want to put my own license on. In order to get my application started, I wrestled with boilerplate code issues I was not able to find answers for online. When I tried launching ...
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Is it possible to use D3 word cloud on your (for profit) website for free?
I am trying to create a website using React, and I need to implement a word cloud.
Is the D3 word cloud free? I have read the LICENSE file, and it says it is protected by copyright. I am not sure I ...
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If source code is only labelled "copyright" - what kinds of use, if any, are allowed? [duplicate]
The specific example I have in mind is the code posted along with a descriptive article at:
Lines with Arrows, Charles Petzold, April 18, 2007, New York, N.Y.
In the article it simply says:
© 2007, ...
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How does copyright interact with licenses?
This came to my mind recently as I was thinking of releasing some code I wrote under a license.
The Xcode IDE automatically inserts the following at the top of new files:
//
// [filename]
// [...
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517
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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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258
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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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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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256
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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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449
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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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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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164
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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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256
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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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33
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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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970
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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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2
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149
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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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4
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100
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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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219
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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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130
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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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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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78
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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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26
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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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168
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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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232
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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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956
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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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348
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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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364
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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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354
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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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122
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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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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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99
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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
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145
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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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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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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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