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zredbaron · Oct 12th, 2005, 8:11 AM

I am finishing up a Java App and I am getting ready to put it up on the internet for small-time sales.

It seems like pretty much all software has a legal disclaimer, and I was wondering how important that was, and if there is a website that discusses what should be covered and why, or if I should just use another app's disclaimer as a base for mine.

I also wondered if I should put my real name on the project. Why/why not?

Thanks!

DaWei · Oct 12th, 2005, 8:25 AM

Trust me (said the used-car salesman), this is not the place to seek legal advice. It's going to be worth just about what you pay for it.

zredbaron · Oct 12th, 2005, 8:29 AM

Fair enough...can someone at least tell me how copyrights work?

Thanks.

DaWei · Oct 12th, 2005, 8:48 AM

Search the forum, using "copyright", for some bad opinions. You will find more, and more accurate, information if you let Google lead you to the right places. This may sound condescending to you, but truthfully, it is not. If you think your work has true value, treat is as such.

Narue · Oct 12th, 2005, 8:48 AM

>can someone at least tell me how copyrights work?
To be honest, I'm not sure anyone really knows the whole story. Basically, your work is copyrighted even if you don't say so, though an official copyright does make it easier to collect damages if it's violated. The legal disclaimer you're looking at is (ideally) written by a lawyer to protect the author from excessive legal issues if the program they distribute causes damage or death. The severity of the disclaimer is directly proportional to how worried you are about theft and problems. For example, my personal libraries typically have the following disclaimer:

(Toggle Plain Text)

/*
  <Short library description>

    > Created (Julienne Walker): <date>

  This code is in the public domain. Anyone may
  use it or change it in any way that they see
  fit. The author assumes no responsibility for 
  damages incurred through use of the original
  code or any variations thereof.

  It is requested, but not required, that due
  credit is given to the original author and
  anyone who has modified the code through
  a header comment, such as this one.
*/

Oct 12th, 2005, 8:11 AM	#1
zredbaron Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 0 Rep Power: 0	Legal Disclaimers Help I am finishing up a Java App and I am getting ready to put it up on the internet for small-time sales. It seems like pretty much all software has a legal disclaimer, and I was wondering how important that was, and if there is a website that discusses what should be covered and why, or if I should just use another app's disclaimer as a base for mine. I also wondered if I should put my real name on the project. Why/why not? Thanks!

Oct 12th, 2005, 8:25 AM	#2
DaWei Resident Grouch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,453 Rep Power: 10	Trust me (said the used-car salesman), this is not the place to seek legal advice. It's going to be worth just about what you pay for it. __________________ Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code. Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Oct 12th, 2005, 8:48 AM	#4
DaWei Resident Grouch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,453 Rep Power: 10	Search the forum, using "copyright", for some bad opinions. You will find more, and more accurate, information if you let Google lead you to the right places. This may sound condescending to you, but truthfully, it is not. If you think your work has true value, treat is as such. __________________ Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code. Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Oct 12th, 2005, 8:48 AM	#5
Narue Professional Programmer Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 419 Rep Power: 3	>can someone at least tell me how copyrights work? To be honest, I'm not sure anyone really knows the whole story. Basically, your work is copyrighted even if you don't say so, though an official copyright does make it easier to collect damages if it's violated. The legal disclaimer you're looking at is (ideally) written by a lawyer to protect the author from excessive legal issues if the program they distribute causes damage or death. The severity of the disclaimer is directly proportional to how worried you are about theft and problems. For example, my personal libraries typically have the following disclaimer: (Toggle Plain Text) /* <Short library description> > Created (Julienne Walker): <date> This code is in the public domain. Anyone may use it or change it in any way that they see fit. The author assumes no responsibility for damages incurred through use of the original code or any variations thereof. It is requested, but not required, that due credit is given to the original author and anyone who has modified the code through a header comment, such as this one. / / <Short library description> > Created (Julienne Walker): <date> This code is in the public domain. Anyone may use it or change it in any way that they see fit. The author assumes no responsibility for damages incurred through use of the original code or any variations thereof. It is requested, but not required, that due credit is given to the original author and anyone who has modified the code through a header comment, such as this one. */ __________________ Even if the voices aren't real, they have some pretty good ideas.

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Oct 12th, 2005, 8:29 AM	#3
zredbaron Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 0 Rep Power: 0	Fair enough...can someone at least tell me how copyrights work? Thanks.

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