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Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project
- ecaron 14y agoThis project was recently discussed on HN at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3899829 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3899829
- martey 14y agoYou linked to a discussion of a tool that lets you lookup the IP addresses of Skype users (which seems like it might have been developed with this tool), but I think you meant to link to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3753155 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3753155
- mseebach 14y agoBetter link: https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/db9b442f0ac68512d0ca83fe7b25a7f9bf766e63/2012-05-01-microsoft.markdown https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/db9b442f0ac68512d0ca83fe...
- cies 14y agoeven better link: https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/db9b442f0ac68512d0ca83fe7b25a7f9bf766e63/2012-05-01-microsoft.markdown https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/db9b442f0ac68512d0ca83fe... (rendered into human readable)
- skypeopensource 14y agoRead it please. Demand for Immediate take-Down: Notice of Infringing Activity URL: https://github.com/downloads/skypeopensource/skypeopensource/skype55.zip https://github.com/downloads/skypeopensource/skypeopensource... Its not to repo code. Its for patched binary, yes.
- Canuteson 14y agoSo I guess they should rename it Skipe open source.
- coderdude 14y agoThe name falls under trademark protection and is not related to copyright.
- uxp 14y ago"Skype: patched and recompiled to do other stuff" is a better title. Decompiling a proprietary product, changing a few lines of code, and then releasing that code doesn't make it "open source", it makes it stolen code (semantics of "piracy is not theft" aside, it's still not his code to be releasing in it's entirety.).
- skypeopensource 14y agoYou are wrong. Decompiling is just allowing research deeper in skype-black-box. Project itself is here https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs
- grimboy 14y agoIf you want to stay within the law my understanding is that you need to distribute patches against decompiled Skype rather than decompiled Skype with patches applied, otherwise you're distributing a derivative work. This may still be a legal grey area though. IANAL, you ANAL, we all ANAL and that.
- Xuzz 14y agoPlease note: this is not an attempt to clean-room reverse engineer Skype, or even to reverse engineer and create an open-source replacement. As shown with things like WINE, Microsoft does not (and probably cannot) take them down. No, that's not what "Skype Open Source" project is. This is a confusingly misnamed attempt to attach code to patched copies of copyrighted official Skype clients. Microsoft is not overreaching here; this is what anyone would expect with a lame project like this. I'd love if someone really created an open-source Skype client, but this is not a project to do that.
- ajross 14y agoAre (were) they distributing the patched binaries or just the tools to do it?
- cube13 14y agoIt's hard to tell. The author is clearly not too fluent with English, so it's difficult to tell exactly what he's saying. It sounds like it's based on a decompiled and recompiled version of the core Skype kernel dlls and not a clean room implementation.
- Muromec 14y agoThere was deobfuscated version of skype 5.5 in downloads section of project. Not in repo. Code in repo contains reimplementation of skype protocol (RC4 chiper, 41 and 42 encoders) and sample tool capable of sending IM to skype peer. There also was some tools for extracting user certificate from skype profile.
- skypeopensource 14y agoRight. Now code moved to most fine named - https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs
- Iv 14y agoHow exactly is one supposed to make a clean-room reverse engineering in the absence of any documentation and sophisticated obfuscation on Skype's part ?
- jimueller 14y agoThis seems legitimate and they are well within their right to do this as the copyright holder.
- ldng 14y agoIf I am not mistaken it's not the first time Skype send a DMCA to this project. But given where the autor lives, the DMCA does not apply so it doesn't go anywhere.
- seldo 14y agoAFAIK the DMCA takedown applies to Github, who are in the US, regardless of where the author of the project lives.
- nextparadigms 14y agoSo much for Microsoft loving the open-source movement.
- kcbanner 14y agoheh, did you look at the project? It's not open source, it's a decompiled Skype binary.
- skypeopensource 14y agoNo, its not. Decompiled binary just need for reversing. Open source clone of skype is Epycs(reverse enginered skype). https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs
- gtirloni 14y agoI think you'll have some trouble fighting MS to prove that your open source version isn't directly based on code you got from the decompiled binary. As other have said, it's better to follow the clean-room process and define the specification. Then someone else can implement it in a legally safe manner. The specification by itself would be an enormous contribution.
- recoiledsnake 14y agoI guess Google too hates open source since they won't release their proprietary modifications to the Linux kernel and their search engine code and will go after anyone getting them and putting it on Github.
- tonfa 14y agohttp://git.kernel.org/?p=linux%2Fkernel%2Fgit%2Ftorvalds%2Flinux-2.6.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=author&s=google.com http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux%2Fkernel%2Fgit%2Ftorvalds%2Fl...
- 14y ago
- PuercoPop 14y agoThe authors website is http://skype-open-source.blogspot.com/ http://skype-open-source.blogspot.com/ Apparently he had already been served with DCMA takedown requests. And talks about deofuscation. Doesn't sound like a cleanroom implementación.
- skypeopensource 14y agoNow, we are working on stage1, make working code and do specification. Takedown was because of patched binary which reversers used as black box for make specifications.
- tonycoco 14y agoMS can't catch a break... They defend their copyrights and get slammed on Hacker News for not being "cool" with the OSS community infringing on their properties. Weak sauce, Hacker News.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- J3L2404 14y agoPG has declared all copyright null and void.
- VMG 14y agoI think you are being downvoted because you forgot the qualifier "if it is too difficult to enforce"
- eli 14y agoWhere do you see people slamming Microsoft in this thread?
- tonycoco 14y agoThe post of this just implied, to me, that Microsoft is evil for putting in a take-down request. Why else post this? There are literally hundreds of take-down notices on GitHub. Why post this one?
- calloc 14y agoFlag the post and move on. I don't see any Microsoft hating here, most of the posts are about Microsoft being in their right to take down a project that uses their copyrighted binaries and is distributing them wholesale after adding some extra code...
- cooldeal 14y agoHere? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3919881 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3919881
- getsat 14y agoWas the code mirrored anywhere offshore before the takedown? Could someone re-host it?
- skypeopensource 14y agoRehosted to https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs
- snarkinatree 14y agoHow about "Skype: The Missing Technical Manual"? MS will contribute nothing to the state of the art of free voice and video calls over the internet. As is so often the case, what they purchased with the Skype deal was a user base. One that they could never obtain with the own products. There is a way to do this without violating copyright. Do not waste time duplicating the P2P element of Skype (the P2P protocol). P2P protocols have been done, several ways, some of them are easily good enough, maybe even smarter than Skype's (e.g., avoiding the exposure of your IP to the entire internet) and enough of the code is GPL'd or BSD licensed to keep things open. We have ample solutions for P2P. View that as the "open platform". Now you need "apps" to run on it. First one is a softphone, but with Skype's codecs. Focus on creating a standalone softphone using Skype's codecs. Does MS have exclusive rights (patent rights) on Skype's codecs? Not even close. They did not develop them. The patent license could fit on a single page; it's as simple as they come: build stuff, pay nothing. http://developer.skype.com/silk http://developer.skype.com/silk
- danbmil99 14y agoIf you don't want to be compatible with Skype, you don't need their codecs. There are plenty of good voice codecs around, freely licensable. The issue is how to tap into the existing Skype userbase -- receive and make calls to Skype clients -- from an open-source client.
- snarkinatree 14y agoI agree tapping into the existing userbase is enticing. And that's no doubt what some people are trying to do (e.g. the Russians). But all VOIP codecs are not created equal. Skype's success is not due to NAT piercing. Even though Skype easy to use, maybe easier than previous SIP alternatives, if calls sounded terrible, people would not use it. Skype's success is due to being usable and having decent sound quality. They did not use the decades old codecs other softphones used. They wrote new ones. And anyone can use them. Using the same codec as Skype uses should not in any way bind you to their network. It has nothing to do with compatibility. It has to due with getting Skype-level sound quality. Quality that the older codecs have failed to deliver. It's easy to get people to sign up for free voice and video calls. The key word is "free". You do not have to find inroads into the "Skype user base". Skype spread by word of mouth. If people learn about another client that works as well or better (same sound quality), and it's easy to use, they will almost certainly try it. Forgive me if I have misunderstood what you were trying to say in your comment. But I do not understand your reasoning.
- xnm 14y agoThis probably has something to do with this exploit: http://pastebin.com/yhcrRSVh http://pastebin.com/yhcrRSVh
- ajasmin 14y agoCan someone explain why Microsoft would go to such length obfuscating the Skype code and taking down derivative work? Is their IP worth the trouble? Do they see interoperability as a threat? Are they afraid of misbehaving clients? Surely it's not just a case of a lawyer having too much time on his hands.
- skypeopensource 14y agoWe are appreciate you help on working on Epycs - reverse engineer skype project. Feel free to study current implementation stage here - https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs
- skypeopensource 14y agoThis is first stage of 'clean room' reversing process - writing specification.