How not to violate software copyright policy?

Asked by this_is_me (2

) December 12th, 2008

One of my clients asked me if i can modify an application (source code) to such extent that it will not violate the copyright policy anymore. He asked me to sign a confidentiality agreement, and then he would give me the source code.

What i would like to know is: what do i have to modify and how much of the code do i have to rewrite so that the resulting application will not violate the copyright policy of the old one, and, am i breaking any laws? or it is only my client that will break them? Thanks!

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3 Answers

If you’re modifying existing code, what you are creating is most likely a derivative work, which requires the copyright holder’s permission. Basically, you have to rewrite the whole thing from scratch without referring to the original code to avoid a copyright violation. Anything else makes it a derivative work. And it’s unlikely that any of the fair use exceptions to copyright would be relevant.

Your client needs to consult with a good copyright lawyer. And if you take on this job, you need to consult with a good copyright lawyer too.

cwilbur (14236

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