Re:Microsoft apology for code theft may not do, Plurk says
by raganwald on Wednesday December 16, 2009 @12:25PM
(#999221)
IT may or may not be in Plurk's best interests to litigate. Not my call. But I believe it is in everyone's best interests for Microsoft to have negative consequences.
The reason I advance is that we don't want large companies taking the following line of thought: "Instead of buying a smaller competitor or replicating their functionality from scratch in a clean room, let's just use an arms-length contractor to rip them off directly. If we get caught, we'll just apologise and settle quietly..."
I believe it is in everyone's best interests that companies be strongly discouraged from this kind of theft, to the point where they will be insanely scrupulous about code developed both in house and at arm's length.
The contrition after the fact certainly should limit further negative consequences, but does nothing to erase the initial crime.
The reason I advance is that we don't want large companies taking the following line of thought: "Instead of buying a smaller competitor or replicating their functionality from scratch in a clean room, let's just use an arms-length contractor to rip them off directly. If we get caught, we'll just apologise and settle quietly..."
I believe it is in everyone's best interests that companies be strongly discouraged from this kind of theft, to the point where they will be insanely scrupulous about code developed both in house and at arm's length.
The contrition after the fact certainly should limit further negative consequences, but does nothing to erase the initial crime.