Is it illegal to take open source work, modify it, and publish it as your own for profit?

Question

The Situation: I want to develop a Reddit-style website. Now, I do not want their exact design, because I am not Reddit, but I do like their functionality. Reddit is open-source. I want to make a website that will turn me a profit. Is it illegal to use some of Reddit's open-source code, combined with some of my code, to make this website.

If it is illegal, would making my website open-source circumvent this problem, and make it A-OK?

Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

You should study the Reddit license, here:



https://github.com/reddit/reddit/blob/master/LICENSE



As a rule with Open Source software, if you obtain the Reddit software under an Open Source license, you must maintain that licensing for parties to whom you distribute your modified version.



My very quick scan of the Reddit license suggests that you don't have to make your source code available to your customers who access your website over the Internet, since you're not actually distributing software. (I won't swear to that point; someone will have to spend more time reading the license.)



There's nothing that prevents you from making a profit.



I'll also point you to a "list of links" I've compiled while preparing a presentation on Open Source:



"An Open Source Introduction: In Your Products, In Your Office"



http://yourlifeyourtech.blogspot.com/2014/01/open-source-references.html



You'll find links to the Free Software Foundation, Project GNU, and the Open Source Initiative on that page.

Answer 2

Code is a literary work (yes, honestly) and is subject to copyright. When releasing to open source, the author can simply renounce all rights to it, or may attach a licence to it, or retain the rights to it.



If the author renounces the rights then you can simply use it. If the author has retained the rights then (in theory) you can't use it. And if the author has attached a licence to it then you can use it as long as you stick to the licence.



That's the theory. AFAIK none of the standard licences has ever been tested in a court, and it's doubtful whether the author could (a) afford and (b) be bothered to take you to court for violating the licence.



It gets even more confused when commercial companies produce code examples for developers with the clear intention that they should be copied and used, but then stamp their private copyright notices on them. Both Apple and Sun/Oracle have played this trick, and it leaves the poor old developers scratching their heads.

Answer 3

Depends on which Open-Source license the Reddit code is published under. You have to read the license and comply with the terms of the license.



Usually you have to preserve the license, and make your source code (original and your mods) available under the same license. So making your source "open-source" and making it available to anyone who wants a copy, will keep you in compliance with most open source licenses.

But requirements vary, so you have to to read the license.



If you have questions try contacting the organization that created the license, for example the Free Software Foundation (www.fsf.org) create the GNU licenses. If you are using a GNU license, they may be able to help you make sure you comply with the license terms.

Answer 4

Depends on what open-source license it's released under...but most likely yes. Most open-source licenses require that any derivative works also be open-source. You'd have to check what license they are using for that code.

Answer 5

It depends on whether the source code is copyrighted or under T&C. Read the terms and conditions and find out. If there are none, then you are golden.

Answer 6

hard problem. look from google and yahoo. that could help!