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P2P vs. The Clones

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the hidden-payloads dept.

smash writes "Rebranding software then loading it with spyware and adware (or just selling it for profit) has become a recent trend with oversea individuals trying to make a few bucks. We all remember the KaZaA Gold, don't we? Shareaza, which recently went open source under the GPL, has been subject to a similar type of theft by a company going by the name RockSoft Development. Surprisingly enough, their software labelled as 'Go Music' hasn't been pulled from C|Net's Download.com after more than a week."

6 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. Hahaha.... by Izago909 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You can never go bankrupt betting on the ignorance of average PC users.

  2. Fake user opinions on CNET by brokencomputer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Those user opinions have got to be fake. " "I like it :)" No spyware is bundled with it, and it is a fairly reliable software package. This must be the best Thing in the world. Now my life is excelent!" ""Great Program No Ads!" Fast, easy to use, plenty to choose from My roommate and I both use this program and we think it's stupendous! This program is excellent." Give me a break. They could have at least made it a little less obvious.

    --
    The Television Wiki
  3. theft or copyright infringement. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Shareaza, which recently went open source under the GPL, has been subject to a similar type of theft by a company going by the name RockSoft Development."

    Oh, so When you steal something from a record label, it's copyright infringement, but when you steal GPL software, it's actually theft?

    1. Re:theft or copyright infringement. by ad0gg · · Score: 5, Funny
      Oh, so When you steal something from a record label, it's copyright infringement, but when you steal GPL software, it's actually theft?

      Welcome to slashdot newcomer! Please follow the following guidelines when posting in order of importance

      1. Microsoft = Bad
      2. GPL = Good
      3. Linx = good
      4. Copyright/Patent = bad
      5. RIAA/MPAA = Bad
      6. Apple = good
      7. Real = Buffering
      I hope you enjoy your stay.
      --

      Have you ever been to a turkish prison?

  4. Open source software on eBay by mbrubeck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I work on the Audacity sound editor, a free software project that is being re-branded and sold on eBay under names like LuxuriousitySound. Most of the sellers try to conceal the app's identity, and of course they don't mention that it's free and open-source. The same vendors are also selling rebranded versions of Open Office and GIMP. We get a lot of messages from angry users who find out that they payed $15 for software that's free for everybody.

    The vendors are obeying the GPL, so they aren't guilty of copyright infringement. They're careful not to use the software's real name, so of course they aren't guilty of misusing our trademarks. They might be in violation of deceptive advertising laws, or eBay's own "Brand Name Misuse Policy," but eBay hasn't yet acted on any of the buyers' complaints.

  5. Spyware? Where? by clubin · · Score: 5, Funny

    It can't have spyware; it's site says it doesn't.

    "It is totally free from spyware, adware and other similar stuff."

    "And the best thing about this program is that it has been thoroughly checked and built so it is free from spyware , adware , pop up ads etc."

    See?!