The core question is whether downloading code from GitHub legally gives you a copy of it. The answer is likely no (within the U.S. at least), based on conversa

The core question is whether downloading code from GitHub legally gives you a copy of it. The answer is likely no (within the U.S. at least), based on conversations I’ve had with lawyers who specialize in intellectual property law. While arguing on HN is a fun intellectual exercise, I would encourage anyone to talk things over with a lawyer before putting financial resources at risk by intentionally violating the expressed license (or lack thereof) in published software code. Even if it is published on GitHub.