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1. Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think: (thatguyoverthere@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 20:37:14 JST Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think:
   Let's say you write something while working for a company as a small component in a much larger project, and you think thing $x should be open source but the company refused. Would it be likely to get you in trouble to create a better version on your free time and release that with an open license? I guess that might depend on whether or not the thing is popular. The thing that sucks is it might be but as it stands my use is the only one out there which is sad.
   • Flick 🇬🇧 (flick@spinster.xyz)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 20:54:29 JST Flick 🇬🇧

     in reply to

     @thatguyoverthere I suspect it would be an expensive legal case to find out. They could definitely argue that you were using IP developed on work time to make the new version.

     Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think: likes this.
   • TheInebriati (theinebriati@spinster.xyz)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 20:54:56 JST TheInebriati

     in reply to
     @thatguyoverthere Check your contract, there's probably a clause about competition. Ending your contract is the first kind of trouble they can cause you, the second is blacklisting, and the third is legal.
     As far as legal trouble goes, lawsuits are best avoided. They aren't about who's right and whos wrong; they aren't even about who has the deepest pockets. A big company can tie you up in legal action which will cost you time and money. Anyone can see court records including future employers, and you can get a reputation for being trouble even if you 'win'.
     
     There will be a way around all of this. You have to figure out what that is. Can you write a completely different type of software that just happens to do the job?
     Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think: likes this.
   • Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think: (thatguyoverthere@shitposter.club)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 21:00:07 JST Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think:

     in reply to

     • TheInebriati
     @TheInebriati I could write it in another language perhaps. I probably didn't choose a language that would be particularly popular where it is useful to be honest. I also release it anonymously. I'm not looking for anything publicly from it I just think it is useful and more people should be able to use it. It isn't specialized to anything we do.
   • TheInebriati (theinebriati@spinster.xyz)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 21:06:31 JST TheInebriati

     in reply to
     @thatguyoverthere If you arent bothered about taking credit the easiest option would be to give it to someone else to release under their name.
     Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think: likes this.
   • Santa Noodle ☦️ (bowsacnoodle@poa.st)'s status on Saturday, 25-Feb-2023 04:12:54 JST Santa Noodle ☦️

     in reply to

     • TheInebriati
     @TheInebriati @thatguyoverthere I wonder if EFF or some other group has resources to help with this exact thing.
     Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think: likes this.
   • Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think: (thatguyoverthere@shitposter.club)'s status on Saturday, 25-Feb-2023 04:12:54 JST Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think:

     in reply to

     • Santa Noodle ☦️
     • TheInebriati
     @BowsacNoodle @TheInebriati oh it's so petty. stupid things I've made that some other nerd might find useful kind of thing. Not that they aren't critical to some of our systems, but the current 2 things in mind are so small it's hardly worth stirring shit. I've actually figured out how I'm going to get around the restriction with one of them, and the other one the demand is probably like 5 other people who give a shit on the planet hahaha