[wp-hackers] Blatant Copying of Plugin Code

[Mike Schinkel]

While the GPL can giveth, the GPL can taketh away too.   :-)

-Mike 

P.S. The moral is: When you use (or operate in an ecosystem that uses) a license that allows anyone freedom to do whatever they want with your code, don't be surprised or upset when someone takes you up on that freedom.  It happens; just ask the guys at Jigowatt.

P.P.S. I'm not criticizing GPL or even complaining as I plan to release many months worth of work via GPL. But I am being lucid about when it means.


On Oct 2, 2011, at 9:54 PM, Lee Chestnutt wrote:

> The topic isnt exactly "cool" either. People put significant amount of work into developing plugins only to have others "steal" for want of a better word. I think the use of all caps rightly reflects the tone is was meant to portray
> 
> Whilst GPL license may "allow" such behaviour one would hope that Wordpress supports authors and assists in at least attempting to protect their hard work. Without some kind of control in the plugin directory it would become pointless continuing to develop plugins
> 
> On 03/10/2011 08:39, Mika A Epstein wrote:
>> FYI, this isn't cool y'know: http://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-smart-share-floating-buttons-this-is-a-complete-copy-of-slick-social-share-buttons
>> 
>> I don't know who that is (though his email is lee at ...) but if you do know, please ask them not to use all caps. Or post multiple times.  I've deleted the other posts.
>> 
>> ----
>> Mika A Epstein (aka Ipstenu)
>> http://ipstenu.org
>> 
>> On 2 Oct 2011, at 7:59:58PM, Lee Chestnutt wrote:
>> 
>>> OK. Thanks for the info
>>> 
>>> Lee
>>> 
>>> On 03/10/2011 07:53, Otto wrote:
>>>> Email plugins at wordpress.org about it. Include links to the plugins in question.
>>>> 
>>>> -Otto
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Sun, Oct 2, 2011 at 7:40 PM, Lee Chestnutt<lee at designchemical.com>   wrote:
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Not sure if this is the correct/appropriate place to ask the question but is
>>>>> there any kind of formal complaint system where I can request that the
>>>>> plugin be removed from the wordpress.org directory?
>>>>> 
>>>>> It has just come to our attention that a plugin, Smart Share Floating
>>>>> Buttons, which was launched earlier today on wordpress.org is an exact copy
>>>>> of a plugin we developed called slick social share buttons. In fact the
>>>>> plugin still contains links to our own website, where the "author" has
>>>>> forgotten to remove some of the links. The only changes made to the files
>>>>> are to change the author name and site to his own. In fact he couldnt
>>>>> actually be bothered to even rename files.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Although I have emailed the "author" I imagine it wont get very far with
>>>>> someone who steals code so blatantly.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Thanks
>>>>> 
>>>>> Lee
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> wp-hackers mailing list
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>>>>> 
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