Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

github.com

61–70 of 93 posts

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#61
post #25

MS can't catch a break... They defend their copyrights and get slammed on Hacker News for not being "cool" with the OSS community infringing on their properties. Weak sauce, Hacker News.

PG has declared all copyright null and void.

I think you are being downvoted because you forgot the qualifier "if it is too difficult to enforce"

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#62
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux%2Fkernel%2Fgit%2Ftorvalds%2Fl...

That doesn't include Google's modifications. From http://lwn.net/Articles/357658/ And there's a lot in that tree. Google started with the 2.4.18 kernel - but they patched over 2000 files, inserting 492,000 lines of code. Among other things, they backported 64-bit support into that kernel. Eventually they moved to 2.6.11, primarily because they needed SATA support. A 2.6.18-based kernel followed, and they are now work…

If it's like android, it might be much closer to upstream now (your article is from 2009).

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#63
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

even better link: https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/db9b442f0ac68512d0ca83fe... (rendered into human readable)

That is the exact link I posted?

funny, because i got to a page showing the diff, and i thought i linked to the rendered page.

anyway, my apologies, no disrespect, have a nice day.

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#65
post #5

Please note: this is not an attempt to clean-room reverse engineer Skype, or even to reverse engineer and create an open-source replacement. As shown with things like WINE, Microsoft does not (and probably cannot) take them down. No, that's not what "Skype Open Source" project is. This is a confusingly misnamed attempt to attach code to patched copies of copyrighted official Skype clients. Microsoft is not overreachi…

You are wrong. You eyes are blind by hating. Stop. Listen the Nature. Skype-open-source code here: https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs repo was closed because i host in download section deobfuscated skype5.5 binary, my fault.

No, that's bullshit. https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs/blob/master/sources...

That function right there (and the vast majority of the rest of the file) is a straight decompiled version from Skype. You even use the register names and comment with addresses from the binary.

Having spent a lot of time reversing apps myself, this is a straight copyright violation. Your code is a directly derivative work from Skype.

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#66
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are wrong. You eyes are blind by hating. Stop. Listen the Nature. Skype-open-source code here: https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs repo was closed because i host in download section deobfuscated skype5.5 binary, my fault.

No, that's bullshit. https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs/blob/master/sources... That function right there (and the vast majority of the rest of the file) is a straight decompiled version from Skype. You even use the register names and comment with addresses from the binary. Having spent a lot of time reversing apps myself, this is a straight copyright violation. Your code is a directly derivative work from Skype…

I wonder if that's a small enough component to count as de minimus copying.

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#67
post #66
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, that's bullshit. https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs/blob/master/sources... That function right there (and the vast majority of the rest of the file) is a straight decompiled version from Skype. You even use the register names and comment with addresses from the binary. Having spent a lot of time reversing apps myself, this is a straight copyright violation. Your code is a directly derivative work from Skype…

I wonder if that's a small enough component to count as de minimus copying.

Is there the notion of minimum copyright infringement?

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

heh, did you look at the project? It's not open source, it's a decompiled Skype binary.

No, its not. Decompiled binary just need for reversing. Open source clone of skype is Epycs(reverse enginered skype). https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs

I think you'll have some trouble fighting MS to prove that your open source version isn't directly based on code you got from the decompiled binary.

As other have said, it's better to follow the clean-room process and define the specification. Then someone else can implement it in a legally safe manner.

The specification by itself would be an enormous contribution.

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#69
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How exactly is one supposed to make a clean-room reverse engineering in the absence of any documentation and sophisticated obfuscation on Skype's part ?

Maybe then you're not "supposed" to do it? For example, there is no reverse engineered libraries for Facetime and iOS API. If you use Apple's libraries, they can come after you for copyright infringement.

Cappuccino is exactly such a reverse engineered library, as is gnu step. For that matter Linux is a reverse engineered drop in replacement for the unix kernel.

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#70
post #66
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, that's bullshit. https://github.com/skypeopensource/epycs/blob/master/sources... That function right there (and the vast majority of the rest of the file) is a straight decompiled version from Skype. You even use the register names and comment with addresses from the binary. Having spent a lot of time reversing apps myself, this is a straight copyright violation. Your code is a directly derivative work from Skype…

I wonder if that's a small enough component to count as de minimus copying.

At least 3/4 of those 4000 lines is directly copied from Skype, and that's just one file. I don't think that's small enough to not matter; anyway, if it really was so small, it should easily have been rewritten with original code.
Post reply on HN