The assumption here is that the developer is modifying or distributing GPL software in good faith. Malicious intent such as appropriating company copyrighted code without due clearance or inserting malware routines is covered by existing laws and will not prevent recalcitrant developers from being sued.
When all things are said and done, FOSS licenses are just licenses that ride under existing laws. Paolo Alexis Falcone Sent from my iPhone On Nov 22, 2011, at 11:18, sirc saira <[email protected]> wrote: > From the book: Linux Administration: A Beginners' Guide, 5th Edition Wale > Soyinka > 0-07-154625-1 > > Page 8: > THE ADVANTAGES OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE > If the GPL seems like a bad idea from the standpoint of commercialism, > consider the > surge of successful open source software projects—they are indicative of a > system that > does indeed work. This success has evolved for two reasons. First, as > mentioned earlier, > errors in the code itself are far more likely to be caught and quickly fixed > under the > watchful eyes of peers. Second, under the GPL system, programmers can release > code > without the fear of being sued. Without that protection, people may not feel > as comfort- > able to release their code for public consumption. > > > crisostomo arias > From: Rafael R. Sevilla <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 10:56 AM > Subject: Re: [plug] Intentional Malicious Code in Open Source > > On Tuesday, 22 November, 2011 08:47 AM, sirc saira wrote: > > Hello guys, > > > > Supposed a programmer intentionally put a malicious code in his/her > > program/software and sells it to a company under GPL license. Can the > > company sue after the programmer? Does it contradict that under the > > GPL system programmers can release code without the fear of being sued? > > The GPL does not protect a developer from getting sued. I don't know > where you got the notion that the GPL extends protection of that sort to > anyone. On the contrary, it gives a developer a means to sue anyone who > is misusing their code as part of proprietary software. > > -- > 願いを叶えて光る流れ星。。。 > > > _________________________________________________ > Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List > http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug > Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph > > _________________________________________________ > Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List > http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug > Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph
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