An example of how much copied code is worth:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_LLC_v._Oracle_America,_...

For this content:

   a nine-line rangeCheck function, several test files, the structure, sequence and organization (SSO) of the Java (API), and the API documentation.

The cost was: "statutory damages up to a maximum of US$150,000".

> - The benefit to you (10 minutes programmer time)

That's an incomplete view. You're judging the value by the time it'd take to rewrite it.

The real value is in knowing what to type and why.

When Co-pilot suggests you a GPL code, it's main value is the knowledge, not the typing.

That piece of knowledge may have taken a LOT of effort from an OSS team to acquire.

Depending on the context, this knowledge would be worth millions.

Worth a lawsuit.

Since people and github are contemplating repeatedly infringing, is there an avenue to increase these damages? This seems like repeated and willful infringement.

With Copilot it's 10 lines of code by thousands of users.

It adds up.

Let's upload a lot of Oracle GPL code and find out. Oracle has certainly sued over 10 lines of code and for much higher damages.

But you know what? I think we'll find that CoPilot will have magically skipped those Oracle repositories and only used code from lowly open source slaves.

Willful copyright infringement for monetary gain can be prosecuted as a criminal act in the United States (and many other countries including Japan) and it's highly possible Github themselves can end up in hot water for facilitating this.

Do you see a scope for troll code GPLers, something along the lines of troll patents ?