2 ms·
> I only need to trust a few sources though. It is very different from getting lots of software from lots of different people. So then use a curated repository
by ndriscoll 2y ago
> I only need to trust a few sources though. It is very different from getting lots of software from lots of different people.
So then use a curated repository that contains or links (e.g. a source-based distro that uses content-addressed p2p distribution) such software, or don't. Just like today.
> If someone forks the project the original author can sue them for breach of copyright.
Assuming they know who the fork author is. Also, why is this a concern of the original author? They decided to share their work, you have it now, and you can decide what you're going to do with it. Everyone knows there's a large ecosystem of anonymous sharing of copyrighted material if you want to do that (or you can pseudonymously share by signing your fork and anonymously distributing it).
It seems incredibly unlikely that an organization could successfully argue they had an implicit license to use something however they want when there's an explicit notice that they do not. e.g. if the NY Times publishes an article on their site, you do not have the right to copy it. This is true in Berne Convention countries even if there is no copyright notice. Metallica can have the most pirated CD on the planet, but no court is going to say a TV show can use it now. Big orgs (the people the author doesn't want to freeload) know this, and they're not going to take such a stupid risk. Individuals, on the other hand, know that no one will ever find out that they copied it, so they can do whatever they want.
> What is the author waits until people are dependant on the software and then decides to demand license fees, or just gets greedy and sues for breach of copyright?
Not relevant to individuals. I could be "dependent" on a pirated copy of Photoshop and Adobe could never possibly know. This only matters for "freeloading" organizations, and the whole discussion is around preventing that, so mission accomplished.