Need advisor/reader

Prophet (2052)

17-10-2018, 23:34

We need help again. It is time that our code repository becomes public but I am afraid to release the source into public because I am not sure which parts of the code may contain information that is copyrighted.

I have read through the source but there are many of you around that propably know the snippets of code very well. The project has a long history and I am pretty sure that everything has been rewritten but there is still a chance that there is some borrowed code somewhere. Actually there is but the original makers are either non exsistent/dead or don' t want to be found.

Then there are these windows tools en exe' s that god knows where they came from. Which of them are propably illegal? which are freeware?

So what is your function if you take this endeavour:

-Read through gazilion lines of code and scan for any copyrighted/ borrowed snippets and find out who is the original maker. Advise about the freeware status of the code
-Read through the directories. Check each file, any illegal tool, content or rule infrigment?
-Advise me what to do and who to contact.

Doing this will help many people as this project can then be branched/cloned/modified etc. I am sure there are those who would love to make a V9990 version

You can contact me by mail. If you only like to do 1 part of the job no problem. A team of advisors is always better then one and one is always better then none.

By T.R.

Resident (45)

17-10-2018, 23:58

It might be helpful to mention which code repository are you referring to.

By Manuel

Ascended (19316)

18-10-2018, 00:08

Perhaps you can simply already list the used tools here?

Regarding the code: what you can also do, is if someone claims copyright on some snippet, you can fix it by rewriting that part if you can't get his permission to use that code. Wouldn't that be acceptable? Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, so perhaps this isn't how you should do it.

Also, as you are using a version control system, you could use 'blame' to find out at least which parts got in when and by whom. And the committer may even have put his sources in? OK, too much wishful thinking I guess...

By Daemos

Prophet (2052)

18-10-2018, 00:39

Quote:

It might be helpful to mention which code repository are you referring to.

It would be but the project is kept a little bit under the radar until its finished. We don't want alot of disappointed people so near the end everyone long enough around here know what i mean by the project

By PatrickR

Resident (39)

18-10-2018, 10:35

Since it's such an old system only behind held alive by enthusiasts I'm with Manuel on this, publish it and in case somebody points out some copyrighted code in it, fix it there and than on the spot. It's going to be a long and difficult journey to find out the original copyright holders.

By FiXato

Scribe (1742)

18-10-2018, 21:24

PatrickR wrote:

Usually the entire project gets a Cease and Desist letter, and sometimes that request includes deleting all the content. Such a takedown against the fan remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a good example.
Project AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake) is another fine example. Probably even more relevant to this topic, is the list of Mario knockoffs, most of which got taken offline after Nintendo intervened. Especially of note perhaps is the Full Screen Mario project, a Super Mario Bros HTML5 knockoff, for which Nintendo sent a takedown notice directly to Github.
A couple more projects are listed at business insider. Especially Nintendo is quite protective of its IP and trademarks, and searching for 'Nintendo cease and desist letter' should give you plenty of hits to cancelled projects. From what I've always understood, from a legal standpoint, they don't have much choice either, as failure to uphold their intellectual property and/or trademarks, could cost them the protective status of it. Then again, IANAL, and in the five minutes I took looking for a reference for it, I could not find one from a reputable source.

Personally I don't think copyrighted code will be the main issue, but rather intellectual property, trademarks and characters, if it is the project I'm thinking of.

By PatrickR

Resident (39)

18-10-2018, 22:50

if it's the project I found people talking about last back in July *cough cough* than yes, it's not a question of copyrighted code but IP. In which case it all depends on how much wind that tree will catch before it's taken down

By Daemos

Prophet (2052)

19-10-2018, 18:44

I think that all the advices are good enough for any future decisions. Remember folks. The project is dead. Lets hope someone will one day finish it