I really hate being negative on the web, it goes against every thread of my being, but something came up this weekend that really irked me.
A frie...
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Since the person is well-known in the community, it might be a good idea for your friend to go public with this information. Not like doxxing or anything, just a blog post or something saying "Please be aware that so-and-so is using my code without permission for this-and-that, the only legitimate use of this code is in my event, xyz". It can be intimidating to call out well-known people but if they're doing this to your friend, they are probably doing it to someone else as well.
I agree that this could be the most effective course of action. And you've got us as an ally in this dispute 😊
Awww, you guys! @taghatle This is probably what they'll end up doing. Just have to wait for the right time/message. I think my friend is kind of hoping they'll do the right thing. I'm not so convinced...
I was in a similar situation recently - someone has stolen my code and published "their own" Android app full of ads.
I complained to Play Store, and they removed the app.
But I'd also like to know more about what else can be done.
I wrote a blog post about this experience, full of rant:) smartpuffin.com/someone-asked-me-t...
Read your blog Lenor thank you, and I'm really sorry it happened to you too! :( And this was part of the issue for my friend. His company is only small (2 employees and 1 volunteer) and the person copying is part of a much larger consultancy firm with large social reach, and they run events for free promoting their work, and this is where the code is being used.
You really feel like you're being bullied at school, and there's nothing you can do, right? :(
I'm sorry it happened to your friend, Claire. And I agree with the commenters here: your friend should at least call the names and raise visibility on this issue. This way at least some justice will be served.
I agree. GitHub processes lots of DMCA take-down requests (505 in 2015), so I expect they have learned to process them quite well. They have a page explaining the process: help.github.com/articles/dmca-take...
That was going to be my friends next step, but we don't know what to do about physically running the events. Now they has a copy of the code, they can just keep doing it whether we do the takedowns or not.
DMCA to github will remove the code but won't change their behaviour.
legal letter to the person involved, then court if your friend feels particularly aggrieved, but they should be prepared for any backlash from it...
sue the shit out of them?
Time vs. Money. My friend doesn't have the finances to go suiting up for this as time needs to be dedicated to running business/events.
yeah, well...I don't know what else you can do
This seems like the right first step. Your friend seems to be in a good position to take legal action, but getting tied up in litigation isn't the most pleasant experience.
There's also the court of public opinion. If the infringing party does not want their reputation injured, putting the issue in the spotlight could be an effective move.
You're located in the UK, right? Is the infringing party also located there? I imagine this gets a lot hairier if it is international.
Yup. He's located in the US, my friend is in the UK.