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0 pointsDanHulton2y ago0 comments

We don't need to enter a world where AI gets any better at all to be able to argue that software shouldn't be copyrightable, smart people have been doing that for ages.

The problem, however, is that we live in this world, where it is copyrightable, and componies relying on Copilot to do large swathes of code generation do potentially have to worry about including copyrighted code in their codebase, and what the legal fallout from that might be.

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Longlius2y ago

It also creates a world where developers who have created code and specifically protected it with copyleft licenses to ensure that derivative works always remain a public good are having their rights laundered away via LLMs. I fully expect the FOSS community to fold if their rights are not respected and it could lead to a software dark age.

jimmaswell2y ago

How often does GPL succeed in bullying people into sharing code under the same license when they wouldn't have wanted to otherwise? I imagine it mostly results in wasted duplicative effort to keep GPL out of the codebase. I'm glad more permissive licenses appear more popular now, like MIT.

blibble2y ago

> I fully expect the FOSS community to fold if their rights are not respected and it could lead to a software dark age.

just happens to be a coincidence this was all initiated by Microsoft?

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