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I share my code without a license because I want others to be able to see how I solved things. However, this doesn't mean I'm okay with wholesale copying my cod

by Sakos 4y ago

I share my code without a license because I want others to be able to see how I solved things. However, this doesn't mean I'm okay with wholesale copying my code. If it's some random guy, then whatever. If it's a corporation like Microsoft, then yeah, I have a problem with it. Under German law, the code is legally not allowed to be reproduced or used without explicit permission even if it doesn't have a license. I retain ownership of it until and unless I explicitly relinquish my ownership rights.

paulcole 4y ago
> Under German law, the code is legally not allowed to be reproduced or used without explicit permission even if it doesn't have a license This is nuts. How can anbody be expected to both know that you’re German and German law when you post on an international website? Or is this a German law that exists to prevent other Germans from doing things but that the rest of the world scoffs at? https://choosealicense.com/ https://choosealicense.com/
- solar-ice 4y ago
  You're expected, wherever you are, to look into where any code you use comes from and what legal rights you have to use it. (The author not offering you a license means you can't use the code, nearly anywhere in the world - pretty basic Berne Convention stuff.) This is the legal expectation in general, not just for software - you can't just come across a design for a neat widget somewhere and start using it in your product, there's probably both copyright and patent on it. Software isn't special. Not everything in Github can be copied into your code verbatim.
- falcolas 4y ago
  That’s how us law works too. Works are automatically under copyright, even if you don’t say so. It needs a license to lessen the copyright restrictions.
- giaour 4y ago
  US law is pretty similar in this regard, isn't it? If you don't have a license for a particular piece of code, you can't use it without the author's/copyright holder's permission, even if you found it posted online.
Xunjin 4y ago
Well, it depends on where you post it, right? Because if you are using a GitHub which probably is US based, you follow the laws related to US?! Demanding that the law of a country should be followed by another is totally no sense. They can agree, make agreements about it, and even take legal action to the Highest court, so it could be evaluated, but using your nationality as an argument of what you can do, it's just plain wrong.
- Sakos 4y ago
  https://choosealicense.com/no-permission/ https://choosealicense.com/no-permission/ I always find it weird how people respond to my comments. Why didn't you check what the US law is like for source code? A lot of places have similar laws around source code, primarily in the West because of efforts to normalise laws across countries, driven by US efforts. And other countries? Well, it's the same for any kind of IP. Either the country has strong IP law and you have the resources to pursue an issue or not and you can't do anything about it.

by Sakos 4y ago

paulcole 4y ago

> Under German law, the code is legally not allowed to be reproduced or used without explicit permission even if it doesn't have a license This is nuts. How can anbody be expected to both know that you’re German and German law when you post on an international website? Or is this a German law that exists to prevent other Germans from doing things but that the rest of the world scoffs at? https://choosealicense.com/ https://choosealicense.com/

solar-ice 4y ago
You're expected, wherever you are, to look into where any code you use comes from and what legal rights you have to use it. (The author not offering you a license means you can't use the code, nearly anywhere in the world - pretty basic Berne Convention stuff.) This is the legal expectation in general, not just for software - you can't just come across a design for a neat widget somewhere and start using it in your product, there's probably both copyright and patent on it. Software isn't special. Not everything in Github can be copied into your code verbatim.
falcolas 4y ago
That’s how us law works too. Works are automatically under copyright, even if you don’t say so. It needs a license to lessen the copyright restrictions.
giaour 4y ago
US law is pretty similar in this regard, isn't it? If you don't have a license for a particular piece of code, you can't use it without the author's/copyright holder's permission, even if you found it posted online.

Xunjin 4y ago

Well, it depends on where you post it, right? Because if you are using a GitHub which probably is US based, you follow the laws related to US?! Demanding that the law of a country should be followed by another is totally no sense. They can agree, make agreements about it, and even take legal action to the Highest court, so it could be evaluated, but using your nationality as an argument of what you can do, it's just plain wrong.

Sakos 4y ago
https://choosealicense.com/no-permission/ https://choosealicense.com/no-permission/ I always find it weird how people respond to my comments. Why didn't you check what the US law is like for source code? A lot of places have similar laws around source code, primarily in the West because of efforts to normalise laws across countries, driven by US efforts. And other countries? Well, it's the same for any kind of IP. Either the country has strong IP law and you have the resources to pursue an issue or not and you can't do anything about it.