4 ms·

If they don't have the right to distribute their source code, then it seems an appropriate legal remedy in this hypothetical would be: * Make them open source

• roywiggins 6y ago
  Slingbox can't grant anyone else the right to distribute source code they don't have a copyright for, either. They could release it, but then everyone else could be just as liable as them if they redistributed it. It would be DMCAed to death (nobody would dispute it, since Slingbox is defunct). It doesn't just become public domain, it's still closed-source.
• beervirus 6y ago
  If they don't have the right to distribute the source code, then "open source the code anyway" doesn't really do any good. No one else will be licensed to use it even after the company discloses the code to the world. It would just be like if a hacker broke in and released their source code.
• TeMPOraL 6y ago
  Or: * Make it explicitly illegal to create such products for which you haven't secured the rights to distribute the entirety of the codebase in case the company goes under. This would of course cause less "innovation" in the field, though frankly, the planet needs less crappy IoT garbage that barely works and quickly turns into paperweights. But it could also open up some currently locked up parts of the industry. Less low-quality SDKs with per-seat licensing would also be a good thing.