Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

intuitiveexplanations.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

611–620 of 1001 posts

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#611

Post by jfrunyon »

devoutsalsa wrote: post #420
smnrchrds wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterpoint: be afraid of lawyers. They may not be able to win s judgment against you, but they can easily bankrupt you. Remember the case where a man criticized Proctorio and was hit with a SLAPP lawsuit aimed to silence him. He ended up spending 100k on legal costs and the case is only beginning. He would have been bankrupt despite being 100% legally in the right. Fortunately for him, EFF decided to support him af…

It goes both ways. Imagine Replit’s attorney going after OP. If OP didn’t take down the site, then suing them is going to be a huge expense & waste of time. Is Replit really gonna pay some corporate attorney $600-ish per hour to harass someone? You don’t even need a lawyer to show up in court and say “I’m a broke ass new grad, and these guys are trying to take down my website. I don’t even know why, but I’m dragging…

> What happens if we go to court and lose? I have to take down my website?

No. What happens if you lose is you pay up to $150,000, plus costs and attorney fees, plus possible criminal penalties. (Here in the US, anyway.)

https://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#504

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#612

Post by iameli »

huntermeyer wrote: post #595

Repl.it CEO had this to say: > There is a difference between copying a feature and actually getting intro a contract, and access to the code, copying it and calling it open-source. > As a matter of principle, when someone goes into your home and steals from you, even if it's not material, you have to respond. https://mobile.twitter.com/amasad/status/1401957368510906369

Well, Amjad, I think there's more than one way of looking at it. I think it's more like we both had this rich neighbor named CodeAcademy and I broke into his house to steal the TV set and found out that you had already stolen it.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#613

Post by underwater »

caslon wrote: post #553
contriban wrote: post #545

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you add more context? Why did you post this?

It demonstrates that he did something worse than what he's accusing his former intern of doing: Second, we’re also excited to announce one of the first (of many!) projects that Amjad has worked on with us: Codecademy Labs, the easiest way to play with JavaScript, Ruby, and Python online. Now, after you learn with Codecademy courses, you can use Codecademy Labs to create your own programs, share them via Twitter and F…

Amjad was one of the first engineers at Coder Academy. It's quite possible that that project was his baby, not just something he happened to work on.

He also spent 3 years at Facebook between Coder and Repl.it, so it's not like he walked out the door with the idea.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#614

Post by jjeaff »

stevebmark wrote: post #58

Did the author disclose the work on Riju as a prior invention before joining Repl.it? If so that puts him in the clear. I would also check your hiring contract to see what kind of clauses are in there about prior inventions. For larger companies, I don't think this company behavior would surprise anyone. I think I can understand where Repl.it is coming from. All I know is this behavior (by Riju author) isn't somethin…

Once you no longer work for the company, all bets are off. Just because you employed someone for a while doesn't mean you retain ownership of the knowledge they learned while working for you.

Barring of course, specific trade secrets or patents. But I have seen none of that here. And, "this kind of looks like what we have" is not a valid legal argument.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#615

Post by ljm »

codingdave wrote: post #111

> Naturally, I took down my project right away... So a CEO bullied you. He threatened to have lawyers look at something, accused you of behaving poorly, and accused you of being difficult. He is being manipulative. He is trying to guilt / scare you into stopping. And it worked. For all readers... do not be afraid of lawyers. Especially if nobody has even talked to them yet. Lawyers do not like to lose cases, so will…

For all readers... this is a US-centric attitude and you must not seek legal advice on HN.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#617

Post by swyx »

dang wrote: post #561
cwkoss wrote: post #525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would it be against HN's rules to reply to Who's Hiring posts from Replit with a link to this article?

Yes, it would be against the rules at the top of the Who Is Hiring threads. We moderate HN less, not more, when YC or a YC startup is involved [1]. That's why the OP has been at #1 all day - normally we downweight indignation posts at least a little, to compensate for the default tendency to massively upvote them, but we haven't touched this thread in any way. I don't think we'd take that so far as to selectively tur…

im very glad that negative coverage of a YC startup is so highly upvoted on HN. we still only have your word for it, but thank you for doing what you can to err on the side of caution when it comes to YC startups.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#619

Post by ltbarcly3 »

I think Replit knows that their entire business can be built by an intern with a few weeks of effort, and as a result is not valuable as a business in it's current state. They are obviously terrified that other people will realize this and there will be 500 clones out there by the time they figure out some defensible business model that locks in clients.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#620

Post by hellbannedguy »

Hopefully a Russian is reading this right now, and cloning Replit bit by bit. (Don't like bullies, especially new money guys.)

Never thought I would have to say that as an American, but it seems like wealthy plaintiffs win too often, and it's not worth the risk?

Hell--this jerk sounds like he might threaten you next with a Libel lawsuit. Think about deleting this post?

If they do sue, and win you have a judgment against you. If you don't have any assets, they can't do much, but you don't seem judgment proof. Those judgements can attach your salary. They last 10 years, and can be renewed perpetually forever, at 10 percent. Ten percent people. (They should not be 10 percent. I'm in CA.)

It's too bad our civil court system can be so unethically gaguged by money.

I'm thinking about doing my own Chapter 7, and it's been scaring me for years now. I'm so broke I could probally ride it out, but I want that judgment off me. It has really affected my life in a bad way.

Post reply on HN