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Or they could just bequeath their code to the public domain, and ignore the quirks of foreign legal systems that make that weird in other countries. List of Ge
by MichaelCollins 4y ago
Or they could just bequeath their code to the public domain, and ignore the quirks of foreign legal systems that make that weird in other countries.
List of Germans who've been sued for using SQLite without a license: .... [End of list]
- kube-system 4y agoJust because SQLite project hasn't sued any Germans doesn't mean there's not legal risk involved. Build a billion dollar company on some "public domain" software in Germany, and you've given a stranger a gun to your head. They might not exercise their copyright, but they also could.
- naniwaduni 4y agoIf some foreign rightholder actually tries suing a billion-dollar German company in German court on the basis of lack of license to some software dedicated to the public domain, do you really expect them not to get laughed out of court?
- kube-system 4y agoAs I understand, German courts do not recognize public domain dedications, because they recognize “authors rights” which are not fully transferable or licensable.
- naniwaduni 4y agoDo you really think that's going to be the sticking point if someone tries to sue over it?
- MichaelCollins 4y agoYes, if I imagine myself to be a billion dollar corporation instead of Joe Random, then I have to act differently. But I'm not, and so I don't.
- kube-system 4y agoBillion dollar companies use major Linux distros, so the concern seems justified here.
- kmeisthax 4y agoOr the stranger dies, and whoever inherits the gun decides to fire it.