copyright

Should I worry about 'Javascript piracy'?

If I write a client-side Javascript app (with a little bit of server interaction), how can I prevent people from copying the Javascript files to their own site? Should I, at all? ...

Need advice on attribution/copyright of heavily modified OSS code (BSD, Apache, etc) in source headers

I've got a question about use of permissive-licensed (BSD, Apache, MIT, etc) source where the line may be heavily blurred between original code and borrowed code. We are more than happy to disclose a copyrights for original source as required by the licenses. The specific case I'm wondering about is how to correctly update source head...

What are the best methods for protecting duplication and limiting viewing time of a distributed video?

I am looking to release a video on memory stick (more likely) or DVD (less likely) that has protection against duplication and expires after a certain date. We basically have a video we want to sell the video to clients, but in the industry, it's common for companies to trade and duplicate what they have purchased, even to their competit...

Mutually beneficial IP/copyright clauses for contract-based freelance work

I have a copyright section in the contract I give to my clients stating that I retain copyright on any works produced during my work for them as an independent contractor. This is most definitely not intended to place arbitrary restrictions on my clients, but rather to maintain my ability to decide on how the software I create is license...

How do you find a lawyer who is able to answer software development questions?

Many answers to questions on stackoverflow about issues related to contracts, copyright, patents, licensing, advise the questioner to consult a lawyer. This sounds like good advice, but I believe the advice would be a lot more useful if there was more detail to the 'ask a lawyer' answer. Where can I find a list of lawyers that are expe...

What is the legality of putting projects in your web portfolio?

I have been with a company for over 3 years, and I have always put the work I do for them in my portfolio. Their company is unrelated to programming. They have known about me having the work I do for them in my portfolio. Today they told me that the work I do for them they own and to remove any all their projects and any reference to the...

How far does software copyright extend?

Imagine an existing software product A. If I create my own product which is simply a feature-by-feature, menu-by-menu copy of A, am I violating A's software copyright? I'm asking this because there's a particular product in the market which is indescribably shoddy, but it is successful simply because there's no competition. So I'm thin...

How do licenses such as GPL regard copying of code?

I understand it's best to implement other libraries where possible (rather than copying code), but in some cases, it's more convenient to copy code. What is the correct etiquette for copying code? Credit at the top of your file, near the code used? What if the code is re-factored beyond recognition? ...

Are there any problems if you essentially copy another solutions code structure?

Emphasis on structure: Code layout/interfaces Physical file layout etc. Naming of files and classes etc. My understanding is that if the implementation is completly different then your ok to use the layout as that can't really be 'copyrighted'? For example if a solution has X, Y, Z projects with classes arranged in certain fol...

A copyright / license comment for common utility apps while do contract work

I'm doing some contract work who need the source code for the application I'm writing. For the new files I'm writing for the customer, I'm giving them the copyright. However, there are some utility files (for OS abstractions like threading) I'm using that I've developed on my own (not on the customer's dime). I want to keep the right ...

Are comment headers and footers in your code really necessary?

Many corporate coding standards require a large comment header and footer in each and every file. Something like: // MyFile.cpp // // Copyright (c) 200x Company ABC // // This file is a copyrighted... blah blah blah // <... some code ...> // Copyright (c) 200x Company ABC // // Change history: // 1.0 - Blah // 1.1 - B...

Can I 'open source' the sources to my site and still copyright the contents?

I have put up the sources of my site on GitHub for easy maintenance. While the majority of the content is in a wordpress database, there are a few html files which contain some content. Since these files are in a open source repository, I was wondering if I can enforce a copyright on them. ...

Pirated software at a company?

I recently had a position at a small web development shop in the US where virtually all software used on a daily basis was cracked. My own IDE was paid for, and I used open source software personally while there, but I was still required to use MS Office and various Adobe products. For a myriad of reasons, I found a new job, but I'm cu...

Code ownership while working as an employee

I am working on a contract (in USA) where I will become an employee of a company and provide them with a software solution for their operation. In the contract it is clearly indicated that I am building an application which all codes are owned by me and copyright is under my name and the employer is licensed to use the technology and has...

Microsoft Office Icons for Development?

Unfortunately Microsoft Office icons etc are copyright by Microsoft and they prevent us from using them in Developed applications with their licence terms. I'm trying to find some alternative Microsoft Office icons who's licence allows for both commercial use in developed applications. One of the important things is that anyone looking...

Xcode 3.1: setting copyright statement on a per-project basis?

I'm an independent developer working primarily with iPhone applications, and I'm currently engaged in several different projects. Some are for myself, and others are for one of a number of clients. Because of this, I'd like to have a way to have Xcode set the copyright notice at the top of each source file on a per-project basis. I've s...

Code header for proprietary code

We need to send some source codes outside of the company and I have to add header to each file with notice which explicitly state that source code is our property and nobody is allowed to do anything with it. Do you know any header templates which I can use? ...

Would an open source project have "Copyright. All rights reserved." written on its licensing disclaimer?

I was trying to make some code I wrote be published under LGPL. I included the appropriate header in each file, but StyleCop told me to include a copyright notice also. But I think that "Copyright. All rights reserved." is not intended to free software. Should I remove it? ...

Would programming an "XOR Cursor" make me a criminal?

I heard of a software patent for a "cursor" that is visible on black and white surface, and you can see the letters under a cursor. Is this story real? I couldn't find any sources. Does it make me a criminal if I program this (trivial) piece of code? Could I be put in jail? ...

How can I remove copyrighted trademarks indexed by Google?

A company has issued the company I work for a cease and desist for a certain term we have been using to describe many products on the website. So we are currently going to do as they say and replace that term with a different term. But the problem is, the search feature on our web site is powered by Google site search. And when I make a ...