Negotiate to get credit for the work or cash.
Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
41–50 of 57 posts
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#42“I have observed, throughout life, that a man may do an immense deal of good, if he does not care who gets the credit for it.” — Father Strickland Congratulations on your coronavirus open-source app getting distributed and presumably used! I know it sucks that they didn't credit you or honor the GPL by sharing their modified source, and folks downloading it from a not-exactly-trustworthy government isn't my first cho…
I do not think that the quote is relevant to the topic.
I meant it as advice—better to celebrate the accomplishment than focus on the lack of credit. The latter leads to stuff like getting Apple to pull the app listing and having no one use it. I'd only do that if I believed Saudi Arabia had made it harmful in some way (eg spyware).
Also, please don't pay attention to the dated/non-inclusive wording ("man", "he"). I tried to just match the original version, although the attribution/provenance is (fittingly, I suppose) a bit uncertain.
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#43please contact me at this email Shahat.a@msn.com
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#44please contact me at Shahat.a@msn.com
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#45Find what you think is a reasonable price, explain to the Saudis and ask them to write you a check. They'll probably do so if your claims are correct and your price sensible. The Saudis are generous people.
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#46You could likely ask Apple to take down Saudi Arabia's version as a violation of your copyrights, and a violation of the license under which you offered your creation. It's the FSF's position that Apple App Store distribution necessarily includes extra restrictions that violate the GPL: https://www.fsf.org/news/2010-05-app-store-compliance So, while your "no commercial use" addition itself contradicted the GPL, the G…
If this app is providing value to the Saudi people it would be unethical to take it down. We’re talking about lives vs an authors pride.
There are many other sources for the same info, to satisfy curiosity & impress upon Saudis the urgency of the situation.
Poking the KSA government's public health bureaucracy to better cooperate with others, & honestly acknowledge the work of outsiders rather than stealing it to create a false sense of their own internal competence, might best serve the health of the Saudi people in the long run.
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#47A software license matters in proportion to wherewithal to lawyer up and enforce the terms...just like any other contract.
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#48You used the GPL and then tried to put it on the App Store? The GPL does not allow that and you should know better.
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#49You can't add a GPL-3 license in your repo (which explicitly allows modification, distribution, commercial use) and then also write "not for commercial distribution" in the README. Pick one. Even then, it can be argued that a national government publishing an app for free is not commercial use.
Maybe it would count as dual-licensing it: GPL and an ad-hoc non-commercial license.
Re: Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store
#50Jesus sometimes people on hackernews are naive. Do you think prince saudi downloaded the code and put it on the apple store? Of course there are consultants making money off this, very good money, while not giving credit and respecting the conditions offered by op.