Questions tagged [copyright]
Use this tag on questions about the copyrighting process and principles. Questions solely pertaining to general copyright are off topic.
330
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Using open source sample code provided by Microsoft for commercial software
I am developing a software for commercial release which is developed ahead on a sample code provided by MSDN
This is mentioned in the beginning
// THIS CODE AND INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" ...
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0
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Updating modified source code's copyright [duplicate]
A few years ago I started working on an open-source project, but things continued and now--years later--I currently maintain my own branch of the project. The project currently resides on GitHub.
The ...
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Refreshing Shared Copyright Dates in Apache 2.0 Licensed Code
I'm working with a formerly closed-source project whose official first release under that product name was in 1997. Development on it slowed and was abandoned, then released as Apache 2.0 in 2012. ...
8
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Are licenses licensed or copyrighted?
Suppose I want to modify a license. Say I choose the MIT license:
..to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, ...
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2
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Software licence to limit use/modification of parts of open-source code?
Is there any software licence (GNU, MIT Apache etc.) that could be readily used or modified to allow to impose limitations of the specific use/modification of parts of a source code that otherwise is ...
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So the GPL doesn't restrict the creator of the software in any way?
In another thread I started (Red Hat buys Ansible), I am trying to figure out the economic value of a company transaction with respect to GPL'ed software. A few of the answers suggest that the owners ...
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5
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1
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CC Licence and Automatically Retrieving Linked Content from a Source
I was reading this topic about users posting content to a community and not having the right to "take it down" later on. It got me to thinking about communities which might have a system to ...
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12
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3
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What is the copyright status of Colossal Cave Adventure?
What is the copyright status of the source code of “Adventure” (also known as Colossal Cave Adventure)?
There is a good record today of the history of Adventure. Specifically: The 1975–1976 Crowther ...
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15
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2
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Must contributor agreements be physically signed?
I've been developing an API internally with a few friends, and hope to expand it and make it open to the broader public. I've highlighted a lot of background in this question, but to recap, it's a ...
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7
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2
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GPLv3: Re-Release app under different branding
I have build an open source audiobook player which is licensed under gpl v3.
Yesterday someone sent me a mail with the topic 'Violation of source code license' including a link to an app that seems ...
Paul Woitaschek
13
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2
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Removing the original copyright line from footer
There's this web app licensed under GPLv3 that I'd like to deploy. However, the footer of each page has a copyright line, e.g., "© 2015 FooBar Inc.". Is it okay to remove that line and/or replace it ...
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Can I modify source code licensed under MIT license without publishing my changes?
Imagine I write a piece of software, which uses some MIT-licensed library. Let's assume that I modified that library.
My software (of which that library is part) produces some content, which I sell ...
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4
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0
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63
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Difference between Copyright License (CLA) Copyright Assignment (CAA) [duplicate]
I have just wrote a program and would like to release it dual-license (probably AGPL and proprietary, but I also would like to retain the ability to release it under other licenses in the future).
I ...
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8
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2
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Can I adapt a CC-BY-SA licensed webpage to host rights-reserved copyrighted content?
I think the inverse of What do I need to share if I include CC-BY-SA artwork in my software?.
Some webpages, such as Code for America are licensed under CC-BY-SA. If I want to adapt the code for this ...
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75
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4
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How does GitHub's "forking right" cope with an "All rights reserved" project?
The GitHub FAQ states (emphasis mine):
You're under no obligation to choose a license. It's your right not to
include one with your code or project, but please be aware of the
implications. ...
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8
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5
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Acknowledging employer in an open source project
My employer has given me to permission to open source a component of a project that I have been working on, allowing me to retain ownership and control, with the condition that they be acknowledged in ...
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How is Google able to relicense their photos on Google Streetview, which may contain copyrighted content? [closed]
While driving in the car recently I noticed a Google Streetview car go by outside. Once I got home I went onto Google Streetview and looked around for a bit.
This is when I noticed the copyright ...
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32
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2
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Copyright and Contributing to an Open Source Project
I'm a little confused by copyright notices on open source projects.
Let's say that a particular project is covered by a very permissive license, such as MIT or BSD. A copyright notice appears from ...
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8
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2
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Does an employee have the right to use a CTA?
Most people who work in software development have signed an Intellectual Property Rights Assignment notice whenever they start a new job. The purpose of these assignments is to ensure the employer ...
- 6,805
4
votes
2
answers
147
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How does the DMCA affect me as a FLOSS developer? [closed]
As a creator of a FLOSS project, what do I need to know about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act?
As an example, Github is often forced to remove sites based on DMCA requests. The requests are ...
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3
votes
1
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Can copyright of an open sourced product be passed down through generations? [closed]
Background:
From other posts I have learned that copyrights expire some amount of time after the owner's death. But from what I know ownership can be passed on after death. If the owner of a ...
- 5,820
6
votes
2
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768
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Can a license on a open source product expire?
Background:
While I know that copyrights on open source products expire. I have never come across anything regarding licenses, this lead me to ask this question:
My Question:
Can licenses expire?
...
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13
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3
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What happens to an open source project when the copyright expires?
With conventional copyright, N years after the author's death the copyright expires (where N varies from country to country). Since free and open source licences are supported legally by copyright law,...
22
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5
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Does being open sourced mean others can use my logo?
Suppose
I have created an open source application
I have also created a snazzy logo to go with the application (for example, the Eclipse logo)
I released my application's source code under a ...
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30
votes
3
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What happens if stolen software is published as Open Source?
This is not a real world issue, at least for me. It is more about a thought experiment from a talk that I once had with a friend:
Let's say that Acme develops closed source software for their own ...
13
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2
answers
387
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Is copyright automatic?
If I publish something on my website is a form of copyright automatically placed on that text?
For example I know if you specifically say "This is published under [insert some cc license here]" then ...
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37
votes
3
answers
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What's the difference between Copyright and Licensing?
Preamble
There are two other questions, specifically related to Licensing and Copyright.
In reviewing the answers and comments, I get the feeling that people generally consider the two to be the ...
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45
votes
3
answers
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Should I include a copyright line in every file?
This is similar to my other question, but specifically about Copyright rather than Licensing.
Typically, each source file contains a line of the form
Copyright 2010-2015, Me
Is this strictly ...
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15
votes
2
answers
227
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Jurisdictions without compatible copyright law
Free software licences such as GPL depend on copyright law in order to be legally enforcable.
Are there jurisdictions in which the law does not enforce such licenses, allowing the license to be ...
14
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2
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Do we need to follow the license for CA certs?
Some OSS projects include CA certificates and claims that they are subject to a particular OSS license. For example the certificates in https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla/source/security/nss/lib/ckfw/...
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