Hamstersoft Ebook App Rips Off GPL3 Code, Say Calibre Devs

Nate the greatest submits news of a claim that a recently released ebook application from Hamstersoft is actually built from code lifted from calibre, the ebook library app. He writes "It turns out that one calibre contributor is now reporting that his code was pirated for Hamstersoft. You can find the full details over on John Schember's blog. It's technically complicated and quite long. You can also find a non-technical summary. The short-short version is that Hamstersoft needs to give away a complete source code for the Hamstersoft Ebook Converter because that app uses parts of calibre, which is licensed under GPL v3. John gave Hamstersoft a month to comply and they did not. Now that app is clearly a GPL violation."

Comments

man

[nomadic]

This is a perfect example of how intellectual property is morally bankrupt and lawyers are terrible people and how IP law holds back true innovation and ... oh wait, because the holder of the copyright released it under a license we like, then let's completely reverse our supposedly deeply held beliefs: nothing is wrong with intellectual property, the infringing party should be sued to smithereens, etc. etc.