[theme-reviewers] GPL-Compatibility

[Chip Bennett]

Simply put: if you don't know the exact license of a work, how can you pass
that license on to your end users, or ensure that it is GPL-compatible?

This question is the reason that we require explicit copyright/license
attribution for all works bundled with WPORG-hosted Themes.


On Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 6:49 AM, Bryan Hadaway <bhadaway at gmail.com> wrote:

> Unfortunately, that's always a possibility and it absolutely happens.
>
> Someone might rip off someone else's work or otherwise infringe and upload
> or re-release something under their claim of ownership or a new license,
> then anyone else that uses that work or even promotes it, shares it with
> others, ends up inadvertently and ignorantly violating the original owner's
> rights.
>
> All we can do is navigate the sometimes tricky world of trademark and
> copyright law and respect other's rights as much as we can, with the
> information we have, be kind to one another, in other words, be mature
> adults and just use our common sense.
>
> Then, if one day you get a legitimate cease and desist email (which
> sometimes is just as unfortunate for the person that has to send out such
> notices in the first place as it is for you to receive them), there's no
> reason to be scared or get defensive, you should simply apologize, let them
> know that you had no idea you were violating their rights and work to
> quickly and amicably resolve the issue. I'd say 9/10 times, that's all
> there is to it.
>
> Unfortunately, some people/companies might, on rare occasion, try to seek
> monetary damages or to censor others whether you knew you were doing
> anything wrong or not. That's partly what http://www.chillingeffects.org/
> is about covering.
>
> It's kind of a hope for the best, prepare for the worst type situation.
> You can hope that everyone always does the right thing, but prepare for the
> fact that they most inevitably won't.
>
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>
>
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