MPAA nicked my software

The writer of the blogging engine called Forest Blog spotted the pirate hunting outfit MPAA was using his work and had completely violated his linkware licence.

Not only had it removed all links back to the Forest Blog site, the MPAA had not credited him for creating the software in any way.

Patrick Robin wrote the ASP-based blogging platform called Forest Blog and distributes it for free under a linkware licence. The idea is that you can use it for free merely by linking back to his site where Forest Blog is offered for download. The cost of removing the linkware would have set the MPAA back the grand sum of £25.

According to TorrentFreak, Robin only found out about the outfit's use of his blog software when he accidentally visited the MPAA blogging site.

The site is down now, but one wonders if the MPAA has this attitude about piracy, why is it so surprised when others rip off its music or movies.

The MPAA wriggled out of the hole it dug itself by removing blog and the offending software from its servers.

"The blog was only ever used for testing purposes, it wrote. Should we have decided to make the move to production, then we would have paid the 25 Pounds that would have authorized us to run a version of the blog without the logos and links." Isn't that nice of them? And with a bit of luck it'll take itself to court and fine itself $50,000 per line of code, mulitplied by its number pof members.

Moe here. µ