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Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

blog.joinmastodon.org

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Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#91
post #4

Does a history of enforcement help in cases like this? The article itself says that Truth Social is "antithetical" to Mastodon's values, but that there's nothing they can do about the usage of their software other than license violations. It sounds like they have a bias to enforce their license in this case. If Mastodon has a weak history of enforcing their license to other organizations, does it weaken the case? I'm…

I think this question was decided by SCOTUS in Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.: In a 6-3 ruling, Justice Ginsburg declared that laches cannot be invoked as a bar to pursuing a claim for damages brought within §507(b)'s three-year window. However, in extraordinary circumstances, laches may curtail the relief equitably awarded at the very outset of litigation,

In case anyone doesn't know what laches is:

>In common law legal systems, laches (/ˈlætʃɪz/ "latches", /ˈleɪtʃɪz/}; Law French: remissness, dilatoriness, from Old French laschesse) is a lack of diligence and activity in making a legal claim, or moving forward with legal enforcement of a right, particularly in regard to equity. This means that it is an unreasonable delay that can be viewed as prejudicing the opposing party. When asserted in litigation, it is an equity defense, that is, a defense to a claim for an equitable remedy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laches_%28equity%29?wprov=sfla...

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a personal feeling about the purpose of the license, not about the people who are using the license.

I read it as being personal at first but on second read interpreted the “antithetical” comment to reference the issue that they were breaking the license and limiting the users freedom.

I meant that my comment was a personal feeling about the license, and not about any particular users or violators of the license.

The post says "we would prefer if people so antithetical to our values did not use and benefit from our labour", and that is clearly not a criticism of just the nature of the license violation, but the people who are violating it.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#94
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you. The following is my opinion of what happened, not an endorsement. Trump's role in our history was primarily a f-you to the established players in both parties. He won because he made all the right people mad. And the more his enemies drastically over-react the more powerful he becomes.

As painfully admitted by the comments here, it is virtually impossible for them to stop talking about Donald J. Trump and they have to even resort to censoring themselves as if he never existed. So it just means that Donald J. Trump is in their minds 'rent-free'; forever.

I know a lot of smart, logical people who lose all sense of thought process when it comes to Trump. Not sure why people act like that. I would never vote for the guy but at least I can keep my head on when discussing him.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#95
post #8

Petty.

Calling a company out for breaking copyright law is not "petty". I suspect you only view it that way because of who is involved

I suspect Mastodon is laying on the "big bad Trump" a little thick, here, but yes. I'm on the side of the GPL, not Trump or Mastodon, so all I want is Free Software licences to be respected.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#96
post #21

One of Trump's biggest advantages is his enemies drastically over-react to things and end up looking stupid. GPL violations are a serious business and Mastodon is well within their rights to ask for the code to be released. But the business hasn't even opened yet and they're already waving permanent revocation around. This sort of aggression in enforcing the GPL may actually be unprecedented.

Yeah I remember all those lectures about over reaction and we ended up with an insurrection and an entire half of our country convinced an election was stolen.

[snark]Almost lost the Republic on Jan 6th to a whole lot of shoving.[/snark]

But more seriously it looks like the government is having a hell of a time convicting anyone there of more than mischief and trespassing.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#97
post #21

One of Trump's biggest advantages is his enemies drastically over-react to things and end up looking stupid. GPL violations are a serious business and Mastodon is well within their rights to ask for the code to be released. But the business hasn't even opened yet and they're already waving permanent revocation around. This sort of aggression in enforcing the GPL may actually be unprecedented.

Yeah I remember all those lectures about over reaction and we ended up with an insurrection and an entire half of our country convinced an election was stolen.

One man's insurrection is another man's mostly peaceful protest.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#98
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no service.

People were able to access the service and create accounts. Those people are entitled to the sources. This would immediately go away if they just posted a tarball of the almost certainly unmodified sources. I guess nobody running this understands what's going on?

> This would immediately go away...

This platform is going to be under continuous attack from all angles. The company has to be ready to be boycotted, licenses revoked, regulation enacted, smear campaigns run, deplatformed by infrastructure providers, etc. Their lawyers are going to be the more combative type, when they signed up it was pretty clear the sort of wild-eyed hate that the Trump brand is going to attract from established actors in the social media sphere.

My hope is they're just going to take 20 days to think about it then release the source code. But we'll see.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#99

I fail to see how a website that's not up yet is violating any licenses, can anyone tell me more about this ?

The article states it was made available to a small subset of people.

I guess distribution is distribution even if it just handing a USB stick to a friend.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#100
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you. The following is my opinion of what happened, not an endorsement. Trump's role in our history was primarily a f-you to the established players in both parties. He won because he made all the right people mad. And the more his enemies drastically over-react the more powerful he becomes.

But for all that superficial posturing, he accomplished very little of his agenda and generally ended up trying to play ball anyway. The anti-establishment game lasted until he entered the white House. His primary accomplishment was building a base of angry people.

> he accomplished very little of his agenda

That depends on what you believe Trump's agenda was.

I hope you're not taking his 2016 electoral campaign statements regarding what his agenda is at face value...

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