Forum Copywrite Notice

General Information & Rules
Post Reply
User avatar
Rob Thomson
Site Admin
Posts: 4543
Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 11:34 am
Country: United Kingdom
Location: Albury, Guildford
Contact:

Forum Copywrite Notice

Post by Rob Thomson »

Hi Chaps,

There have recently been some posts on another forum raising issue with the fact that this forum does not have a PHPBB copy write / link back notice on the footer.

As the threads all got a little heated, the topic was 'locked'.

I thought best to draw an official line.

--

To date, this forum has never shown a standard Powered By PHPBB footer link, and a PHPBB copywrite notice. The reasons for this have been.

1. The default text is rather long and collided with the chat system at the bottom of the site.
2. I personally do not believe in out write advertising your code base to any script kid hacker on the net. Obfuscation is a mildly effective means of preventing hacks.
3. Placing a copy write notice on the footer of the site that says 'Copy write PHPBB' would imply that all site content is copy writed by phpbb. Clearly not the case.
4. The FAQ pages on the forum have always clearly outlined who build/developed the forum software.


If one follows the PHBB lines on the text and what they have to say on the matter - there simple line on the matter is. "No problem to remove the link, but we will not be able to provide support for the forum"

Their logic on this is simple. No GPL licensing is broken removing the link. The output of this text is provided by the theme you use, and any public person can alter the theme / create a new one. So how do you stop people removing a link that by design allows you to remove it? They simply ask as a good will that you leave it in, and in return give you free support.

Following on from all this debate I have come up with an intermediate solution.

I have found a space on the bottom right that can include a 'Powered By' notice. This is small enough that it does not mess with the chat system. I cannot however include the copy write notice, as they do not hold copy write on the page content.

This is all really a mute point. Keeping the notice is not mandatory, and done a a simple good will gesture. My reasons for adding it back in are simply to silence a group of people who seem unable to appreciate why the developers of the 9x firmwares kicked up a fuss when their gpl notice was removed from a product, and then sold with the implication that the end company had made the firmware. Fortunately this issue is all in the process of being cleared up.

:mrgreen:
Slope Soaring, FPV, and pretty much anything 'high tech'
...........if you think it should be in the wiki.. ask me for wiki access, then go add it!

Post Reply

Return to “General Information & Rules”