Copyright? Quick to Point Fingers

[Bluemer]

Heya,

I just recently signed up here, and actually just recently started checking out, and using your script, Chevereto. I been browsing the forums, and such.. I came across multiple instances of you(the Author) complaining about people not giving you notice, or reselling/distributing your code.. You use jQuery in both your older version, and your new 2.0 demo, but it seems for some reason you did not include the jQuery(along with other snippets+plugins) copyright headers.

How can you justify your own neglience?

 

[Rodolfo]

jQuery and many other libs are widely used for everyone and you (as developer) don't need to include any copyright notice on the html because they don't ask for it, you can even delete the copyrights on the jquery file because they use the bsd license (barely public domain)

By the way, if you open the jquery.js file you will notice untouched headers... And there is third party credits on the downloaded file:

-------------------------
-- THIRD PARTY CREDITS --
-------------------------

<PROTOTYPE>
(c) 2005-2007 Sam Stephenson http://www.prototypejs.org/

<SCRIPTACULOUS>
Copyright (c) 2005, 2006 Thomas Fuchs http://script.aculo.us

<BEHAVIOUR>
Ben Nolan, June 2005. Based largely on the work of Simon Willison.

<PNG FIX>
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bobosola/

(pretty outdated by the way...) But the credits are there.

Secondly, many people remove the copyrights which is ok, even for the newer version. But claim to be the author of the script or resell it when my agreement say "Don't do that" is a bad practice and I like to point that, not those. I Don't ever give names don't worry about that.

Taking all this into account, I was thinking that you are just an asshole... But perhaps you need to know more about this kind of developments.

As you may notice... A script like this uses php, html, css, js, etc... As a combination of "technologies", but they are all part of one thing. You will never see jquery copyrights on a php file, or in a css file, etc. (only if the script is a single file). They are just stand-alone "things" that works together.

So I don't really know where is my neglience and I hope a kindly "sorry".

Regards.

 

[Bluemer]

I kindly thank you for a professional friendly reply.. I was expecting something much more awful! I guess I am kind of misinformed.

I do have a question for you though.. If I design additional code that modifies the "base" Chevereto I then remain the copyright holder of my modifications correct? I understand I can't sell my modifications because they wouldn't be possible without the base, but noone else is able to use my modifications without my permission correct?

 

[Rodolfo]

Chevereto is GPL wich is a very restrictive license in terms of on the road license changes... Basically, you can't change the rules when you use GPL (that's because the LGPL exists) and if you ask why the people uses GLP is to protect this kind of Software Libre projects from other intentional usage. In other words... when you work with a GPL project as you base you are aware that your modifications must be also GPL and do not break any GPL rule like access to code or "i can do whatever with the source".

That is why lately many source libs (like jQuery) uses the MIT/BSD license because you can use them and close your source or limit it whenever you want, so that freedom makes possible to really do whatever you want with the code, close whenever you want, etc... Even if you aren't the copyright owner.

But Chevereto is GPL, kind of "protected" from this absolute free (barely public domain) usage. I think that in some point I will release it under the MIT license (since I'm the copyright owner I can do that at any time) because many people want to use it as a base and is most likely that they are selling it already... Honestly I don't like the idea but since I'm doing a commercial release I think that I can give something back to the world. On a second thought I just can make my own license and put my name on it... Legally is exactly the same, the MIT, BSD, CC, GPL, etc... Are just license templates, they work on the same way... You (the author) put your name and you give this template permissions to the world.

Finally, the Chevereto license agreement says few points that you must respect but that don't mean that you must ask me for something. It means that if you respect that you can do anything.... Any "not in the agreement" is forbidden by default, but anyone can just talk to me and resolve a special permission.

Regards