Is there any codeplex license that allows some one to use my code any way they want but not to create a program that does the same thing that my programs do?
+3
A:
The only way you can prevent a program from reproducing functionality is with patents.
Cogwheel - Matthew Orlando
2009-09-06 16:00:42
Yep!! Come to think of it, a license on similar lines would be cool as well :)
Ritesh M Nayak
2009-09-06 16:07:47
You may wish to expand on this, as the area of patent law, especially in different countries is very complex. For example in the UK you cannot patent a mathematical process / algorithm (source code), you can only copyright specific implementations, however copyright law in Britain prevents people from simply translating the code into another language or any other trivial modifications.In the US however, software patents have precedence in law and so the entire area is a lot murkier.
Jamie Lewis
2009-09-06 16:09:24
Hence why I didn't really want to expand on it...It's a horribly complex issue, and I'm already having a hard time holding back how I really feel about software patents. :P
Cogwheel - Matthew Orlando
2009-09-06 16:22:20
I just wanted a license that works like a patent in the way that they cant use my code to use it in a product that competes against mine.
Petoj
2009-09-06 16:36:58
Cogwheel: Fair enough! :)
Jamie Lewis
2009-09-06 16:47:31
+1
A:
Following on from your comment:
You will need to have a lawyer draft a license as you have very specific needs. The license will have to specify the exact conditions the code can be used under (or the conditions it cannot be used under.)
I am not aware of any "generic" license which covers this type of arrangement. And there are a wealth of issues to consider, for example:
Step 1. You have automatic copyright over your source code. This gives you, and you along the ability to distribute your application legally.
Step 2. You release the code under an open source license. The code is still yours, but now people can use it for whatever they wish, including recompiling and distributing the project under a different name (but with attribution?)
Step 3. You want to impose a restriction on the open source license, which you are within your rights to do. However this has to be very carefully worded and thought out.
- Can I use part of the code in a similar application? How do you define similar?
- What if I modify it? What about derivative works? Are they the same thing as your product?
- Does it cover future versions of the code?
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. These are just ramblings that I can recall from the legal and ethical modules from my CS degree. All I can do is advise you to hire a lawyer to draft a license.
Jamie Lewis
2009-09-06 16:57:46