This notice must stay intact for legal use - Any good???

[keyboard]

Hello everyone.

/***********************************************
* This notice MUST stay intact for legal use
* Visit Dynamic Drive at http://www.dynamicdrive.com/ for full source code
***********************************************/

I got that from one of the scripts on DD. Can you actually do anything if they remove the notice. Apart from refusing to help if they have a problem (untill they fix it) or something like that. Is there anything you can actually do. Because I've got some scripts on my site (not open for business yet) that have a notice like that and am curious as to if there's any point putting them in.
Keyboard1333

[jscheuer1]

The main reason DD uses that is so if someone takes the script and attempts to sell it as their own or use it as part of a collection to support ad revenue*, then DD can (as a last resort) pursue legal action.

It would rarely come to that as most ISP's would be happy to take down the sites of folks stealing DD's code in this way if DD simply asks them to.


*See DD's terms of service for more on these and other violations:

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/notice.htm

[traq]

to answer if there is "any point" in keeping the notices on your scripts, then yes, the point is to play nice and be respectful of the script author's conditions of use. It's not like there is any downside to leaving the notices in.

(In one case, I was using quite a number of scripts from DD on a project - I emailed DDadmin to ask permission to remove the notices from the page markup and place them in the [external] javascript files instead. Of course, no problem. It's the spirit that counts.)

[djr33]

The notice doesn't do anything more than a stop sign does on the road. But if you don't follow it, legal action is possible. That's not usually necessary, and the intent is for everyone to be respectful. The scripts are free, and in return the copyright and credit notice must remain.

This also protects against a 3rd party selling the scripts-- by making the copyright clear, the copyright is protected legally. (If a copyright is not enforced, over time it loses its legal strength.)

[james438]

Didn't DD hire a lawyer a few years back specifically to deal with copyright infringement and doesn't DD take action now and again to occasionally deal with websites that steal his scripts?