Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder3.hal-mli.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder1.hal-mli.net!npeer03.iad.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!feed-me.highwinds-media.com!postnews.google.com!glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail From: Lew Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer Subject: Re: "Borrowing" code Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:26:16 -0800 (PST) Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 29 Message-ID: <18513873.3.1329470776771.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@pbne2> References: <1848237.679.1329425962537.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@pbgq3> NNTP-Posting-Host: 173.164.137.214 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-Trace: posting.google.com 1329470879 31029 127.0.0.1 (17 Feb 2012 09:27:59 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:27:59 +0000 (UTC) In-Reply-To: Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com; posting-host=173.164.137.214; posting-account=CP-lKQoAAAAGtB5diOuGlDQk0jIwmH0T User-Agent: G2/1.0 X-Google-Web-Client: true X-Received-Bytes: 2595 Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.java.programmer:12112 On Thursday, February 16, 2012 1:51:34 PM UTC-8, Patricia Shanahan wrote: > On 2/16/2012 12:59 PM, Lew wrote: > ... > > BTW, asking a bunch of software guys for legal advice is absolutely a winning > > formula. Make sure to ask taxi drivers for medical advice and supermarket > > cashiers where to invest as well. ... > > There is one situation in which asking a programmer about this is useful > - asking the author of the code about a proposed use. That wouldn't be legal advice, per se. You'd still need legal advice in order to enter into a contract with the author. The usual colloquial meaning of the term "legal advice" is expert counsel in the area of legal ramifications with one's own interest paramount. That is unlikely to be the conversation one has with a work's author. It is, granted, a useful conversation, but not one that I'd call "legal advice". > The first step should, of course, be to look at the code itself and the > web site for licensing information. The next step, if the code contains > a copyright notice, an @author tag, or other indication of authorship, > should be to try to contact the author. And if copyright law is an issue, or you have reasonable cause to expect liability concerns to be relevant, and absolutely if there's any money at stake, somewhere in those early steps would be to seek legal advice. In addition to the conversations with the author. -- Lew