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NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:51:36 -0600
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:51:34 -0800
From: Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org>
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Subject: Re: "Borrowing" code
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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.

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.

Patricia