[Qt-interest] License Protection on Application

[Arnold Krille]

Hi,

On Monday 22 March 2010 09:09:43 Frank Lutz wrote:
> i do have a little question about the protection on an opensource
> application. I do have worked about 2 Years on my application, and so i
> am a little afraid that someone can take the Code cut the author and the
> GNU-License information and say: "It's my!".
> Ok, ok so important isn't my application but i would be informed about.
> So please, can tell me someone about, or where i can be informed.

There is no automatic mechanism for that. Sadly and gladly.
Sadly, because this means that you have to "hunt down" these license 
infringements your own.
Gladly, because this would probably only be possible with a global unique 
control instance, which is much to much like 1984 for my taste.

If you find that somebody has violated the license of your app (no matter 
whether its an open source license or not), you have all the rights to sue. 
For open source there are organizations like gpl-violations.org that help you 
with that.

Interestingly, I have also heard people not wanting to go open source not 
because someone might take their code, cut author and license and sell it as 
their own, but because someone might take the code, modify it to the worse and 
leave the author in. They fear their reputation might be destroyed by that. In 
a twist, the last three minor releases of that software all introduced more 
bugs than they fixed. And the next major release is overdue since two years. 
But going open source and having others help with the bug-fixing and improving 
is out of the question for them:-(


So, take the leap, publish your software as open source! The benefits will be 
greater then the risks.

Have fun,

Arnold
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