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0 pointsHeyLaughingBoy11y ago0 comments

No conflict. You own your changes to GPL code unless you distribute that software to others. Only then do you need to distribute the source of your changes.

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EGreg11y ago

But you the individual shouldnt be able to force another individual - a contractor, say - to restrict their freedom in using this free software, even though they are working for you. Right?

HeyLaughingBoyOP11y ago

Depends on exactly what you mean.

Let's say that I'm employing you to write a trading platform. You research the field, find some OSS that can serve as a base to work from and modify it to my specs. I own the modified code and can report you to the DA if you take it and try to sell it somewhere else.

Now if instead, you just take the original OSS you found, and the knowledge you gained working from me and go somewhere else to build a trading platform based on that original source, I have no case against you (assuming you aren't using my trade secrets) since you haven't taken anything I own.

Does that help?

mullingitover11y ago

> I own the modified code and can report you to the DA if you take it and try to sell it somewhere else.

How does this work with the original copyrighted code? If I take 10k lines of an open source project, tack on an echo or a comment or some nonsense, do I suddenly get to claim ownership of the rest of the code? It would make sense that you could own the delta, but you should only own your delta, not the original code.

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