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Ask HN: Somebody is trying to profit off of something that I released for free

15 points by kwerty ↗ HN
I wrote a little app called Kwerty Gmail Notifier and put it on my site and on Github for anybody to use free of charge. Lately it has been getting a bit of attention on some popular download sites.

http://kwerty.com/Gmail-Notifier-for-Windows-7/

Yesterday I noticed somebody has posted it on Facebook and is claiming it as an exclusive, and offering a "pro full version". They link to a website where you must register to download. Once registered they ask you to pay.

http://facebook.com/note.php?note_id=123271001142680

They are trying to profit off of something I released for free.

I looked at filing a copyright infringement claim through Facebook, but they want my full contact details and they say that such information may be revealed to the infringer. I don't particularly want some guy in Timbuctoo having my phone number and address.

What is the best course of action for me to take to have it removed from Facebook?

8 comments

[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 26.3 ms ] thread
octopus
What kind of license has your application ? I've found a single Kwerty repo on Github with no license mentioned or copyright.

You should always use a license for your software and state clearly who owns the copyright for this.

kwerty
I didn't even consider it, as I created the app for fun and just wanted to put it out there.

I looked at some of the various types of licenses but I have no idea which one I should be using.

My main concern is to prevent people from trying to profit from the software. Any suggestions?

debacle
BSD/MIT (and maybe Apache?): People can take your stuff and resell it.

GPL/LGPL: People can't take your stuff and use it in any way whatsoever without making what they make with it open source as well.

That may be a broad generalization, but it's mostly true.

infinite8s
Even without a license, this is still a copyright violation for distributing something he doesn't have rights to.
Fedons
If he doesn't explicitly state a licence, the default copyright is owned by the author. Open source licences exist for this reason, to change the "default behavior" of something that is publicly released.

For this reason Kwerty owns the rights of distributing and using his code even without a licence.

codgercoder
Find a pro-bono copyright lawyer to do a DMCA takedown for you; it might be possible for the notification details to be his not yours.
jat1
where would you find one of these?
forgetcolor
just email fb, tell them this guy is infringing your copyright, point them to its real home on the web and ask them to take it down. i runinto this w/ ebay and youtube and that approach always works for me. they may even have an official form or email for these complaints.