
Ask HN: My Open-Source project is on eBay. What should I do? - jcoffland
I just find out that my GPL&#x27;ed CNC software, CAMotics is being sold on EBay.  The seller clearly made modifications and I don&#x27;t see any way to access the modified source.  Isn&#x27;t this a license violation?  Has anyone else had this happen to them?<p>https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ebay.com&#x2F;itm&#x2F;CNC-simulator-software-for-CAD-CAm-milling-machine-or-router&#x2F;113808167909<p>Real software: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;camotics.org&#x2F;
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mindcrime
_Isn 't this a license violation?_

That depends. If people who buy "their" software get the modified source along
with it, and it's also under the terms of the GPL, then they are compliant
AFAIK. They can also just put up a link to download the source, but IIRC,
that's not required if it's shipped with the CD (or whatever kind of media
they are distributing).

OTOH, if they are really complying and releasing their patches under the GPL,
you could spend the $19.00 to buy one of their distributions, then turn around
and put their patches back into your base software if you wanted to.

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johnnyo
Just because they are selling something on eBay doesn't mean they are
violating the GPL.

They are allowed to take your code, modify it, and sell it.

If the CD they are distributing contains their modified code, or a link to
where it can be downloaded, then I think they would be in the clear.

~~~
jcoffland
Right, but they must retain the original copyright notices and provide the
source code. I'm asking the person who bought the software to verify if this
is the case.

I don't mind so much someone selling my software on a CD. What I do mind is
that they changed the name to trick the buyer. Perhaps I should be using a
different license.

~~~
johnnyo
GPL allows you to change the name.

I'm not aware of an open source license that prevents someone from renaming
the software to whatever they want.

~~~
jcoffland
There isn't any open source license that prevents me from not liking it
either.

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aiscapehumanity
Wish I could help, peaking around them and some others seems to show that
there is a larger a rabbit hole in eBay of open source resellers.

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carapace
Ask the FSF [https://www.fsf.org](https://www.fsf.org)

