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Affinity Engines Says Google Stole Orkut Code
GillBates0 writes "Wired's reporting that a social networking software company called Affinity Engines has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that much of the source code behind Orkut, the search engine's popular social service, was stolen by former engineer Orkut Buyukkokten. They claim that he illegally took the code the he had written for the company -- which he co-founded -- with him when he joined Google and that Buyukkokten promised Affinity Engines that he wouldn't develop a competing social network service for Google. '"In its initial investigation, AEI uncovered a total of nine unique software bugs ... in AEI's inCircle product that were also present in Orkut.com," according to the lawsuit.'"
Why would someone lay claim to that unscalably, buggy pile of crap they call orkut code?
It breaks regularly, and when it is running, its slow as dirt. Honestly, I'd just suck it up and not admit that it was mine!
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
If by "popular" you mean "only used by a handful of dorks performing a sort of digital circle-jerk", then yeah, it's popular...
Given how unstable and unreliable Orkut has been lately, I reckon Google should sue back! :-)
Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
If you have made promises like that to your former company, it's a pretty dumb idea to name the software that publically breaks those promises with your own name.
"Hay guys, I won't develop any social networking services for rival companies or use the code I wrote for you!"
"Cool Orkut, thanks, that'd be legally binding then."
*several months later*
"Hmm, I think I'll call the service 'Orkut'. They'll never know it was me."
Update: AEI asked to produce stolen code, claims it is in a briefcase in Germany that their lawyer will bring to court, when he gets around to it.
My Google Stock!
...Wait Google's not public yet... whew
I guess posting this conundrum is my way of abstaining...
If by "popular" you mean "only used by a handful of dorks performing a sort of digital circle-jerk", then yeah, it's popular...
You haven't gotten an invite either, eh?
Hmm,
I wonder if the fine folks over at SCO will bother to watch this.. If it turns out Affinity has a real case, SCO will see stark differences between what they're trying to pass off as a case of misappropriation, and how the Real World(tm) functions..
US$0.02++
"In its initial investigation, AEI uncovered a total of nine unique software bugs ... in AEI's inCircle product that were also present in Orkut.com,"
So they're suing him because he stole their proprietary bugs?
was, "Uh huh, yea, right, I won't develop a competing social network." Walks off laughing.
"dysfunctional asshole manager"...
I think I know him..
If you are going to pirate some code from your
old company and bring it to your new company,
make sure you debug it before the world sees it.
dtg
The truth is an offense, but not a sin.------R. N. Marley
Dysfunctional asshole manager must be the worst job ever.
a team of MIT mathematicians to prove their "stolen code" case
Don't be silly. Every mathematician knows that you can't treat Affinity like regular numbers...
...and I'm going to take away 2 of the three "sexy hearts" and all the little "trusty" icons I gave him!
Best Buy can have you arrested
Clearly, Microsoft and SCO have both stated that closed, proprietary code *cannot* be stolen unless the stolen code ends up being GPLed. They've pretty much demanded that theft of closed, proprietary code for the purposes of being included into other closed, proprietary code *cannot*, *does not*, and *will not* happen.
So, bull@*#. No code could have been stolen. To suggest otherwise... why, it'd be chaos! Proprietary vendors stealing code?! It cannot be! Think of the implications! It cannot be!!
help me i've cloned myself and can't remember which one I am
Actually, they'd be claiming that every friend networking system in the world was theirs, and they are owed a royalty on every successful romance that starts as a result of one of these things.
Over the 70+ year duration of their copyright, that should amount to, say, $1.75.
Save Maine's economy: write stuff down. All comments are exclusively my own, not my employer.
Google stole Orko??
:)
Oh, Orkut... never mind
What I find particulary funny is that this guy took all this code with him and didn't even fix the bugs!
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
step 2: get a covert programmer to join a successful company. Have him insert your code.
step 3: accuse successful company of stealing and sue them.
step 4: get a big settlement, and make your covert programmer "dissapear" to silence him.
and repeat. watch out Orkut
I know I'm going to be modded up on this
If their product runs on UNIX, they're code belongs to SCO. They obviously did a terrible job of prtecting SCO's IP when they allowed Orkut to leave the company with his memory intact. Expect Darl to sue AEI in the next week and Google the next. Just for kicks I'll bet the sue Friendster for "Incitement to commit IP theft"
As seen on Wired: Get a free desktop PC
my understanding (which for the purpose of this post is derived solely from the spew of Darl McShitbag) is that IP theft is an Open source issue, and the big benefit of proprietary code is that it's all clean.
So I just refuse to believe otherwise. this has to be a hoax. someone contact snopes immediately.
Because (at least here in Belgium) the employer is responsible for (almost) everything the employee does while "on duty".
is slashdot. Everyone knows what bukkakke means.
It's rare that you're presented with a knob whose only two positions are Make History and Flee Your Glorious Destiny.
I'd really like to meet that 0.297th person. They must be really skinny, or maybe really short.
The last perspn to sign on was a manager - that's the percentage of humanity left.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
It's insane isn't it? That's like a carpenter bringing the hammer he used on the previous job with him to use on my house! The nerve!
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Obviously, this list of bugs proves Orkut copied his code!
Best Buy can have you arrested
Heh, like I promised to call her the next day.
Crack-head moderator out of context.
You can't handle the truth.