On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 9:42 AM, David Connors <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 22, 2011 at 10:58 PM, Glen Harvy <[email protected]> wrote: > >> On 22/06/2011 9:04 PM, Scott Barnes wrote: >> >>> What if I wrote some code that I stole from someone else on Codeplex. If >>> the company in question "owns" that code and I don't, does that mean they >>> are the ones getting sued for copyright infringement? >>> >> In terms of your first sentence, you are the one that is at fault. >> > > Spot on - that is precisely the opinion that came to us from our HR > lawyer's mouth. As a software engineer, if *you* choose to put something > into a solution then the liability is with you. You are obligated to ensure > that it is unencumbered by IP ownership. > > If you don't know the status of the IP ownership or can't get an > indemnification to that effect - then don't use the code. > > But IP can be an idea (often expressed as a patent, like the multi-touch one Apple are pursuing so aggressively) - this means that everytime you do something 'new' you need to search to see if it is patented? Nothing would ever get done! > Also, It really isn't that hard to ask for management permission to use a > third party library and hence absolve yourself from responsibility. > > Not that hard, and in 12 or so months, who knows, they might come back with an answer. -- Meski http://courteous.ly/aAOZcv "Going to Starbucks for coffee is like going to prison for sex. Sure, you'll get it, but it's going to be rough" - Adam Hills
