OpenCPN on eBay

[decjd]

On a slightly different but related topic, has anyone thought of going to a major boat show (say Annapolis) and just standing around and handing out CDs with OpenCPN? I suppose the organizers might want you to rent a booth but I'm not certain there's much they can do about it if you're giving it away.

Jim

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by Weeble

Looks like people are being conned into paying for OpenCPN on eBay .

SIMPLE TURN ANY LAPTOP INTO A MARINE GPS CHART PLOTTER on eBay (end time 04-Jan-11 23:11:11 GMT)

It does not mention on any of the listings that the programme is freely available to download.

Actually, it does. At the end of the description is the following:

'This software on this CD is provided free to all users and is fully in the public domain.
You are paying for the CD and "A Reasonable cost for compilation and redistribution"
and NOT the software on the CD itself.'

Admittedly it isn't very prominent but it is there.

Fabbian

[hellosailor]

"going to a major boat show "
You mean, where other vendors may have PAID TO RENT A BOOTH?

The show organizers or the other vendors might get together to toss you off the docks. You know, they are all at the show for a profit, not just for the public good. Yacht clubs, Safety At Sea seminars, places like that might be a better place to give away things. Make it a DVD, add PDFs of COLREG and Bowditch and some other goodies...you'd have something folks would be eager to take home.

[decjd]

I don't disagree with you that the organizers will want you to rent a booth. However, I disagree with you that the only way to get people to accept a CD with free chart plotting software is to stuff it with all sorts of other things. The fact that you can use a moderately priced laptop (or even an older used laptop) and a ~$30 GPS unit and get a chartplotter that is equal to or better than many commercial chart plotters is I believe a major selling feature.

Jim

[cagney]

'This software on this CD is provided free to all users and is fully in the public domain.

OpenCPN is not in the Public Domain, it is licensed under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2, and if you distribute OpenCPN you need to be familiar with this license.

Thomas

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by cagney

OpenCPN is not in the Public Domain, it is licensed under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2, and if you distribute OpenCPN you need to be familiar with this license.

Thomas

Yes. I've written to the vendor about exactly that point.

Fabbian

[CarCode]

We use to inform eBay about fraudulent offers and usually eBay delete them very fast:

Von: eBay United Kingdom Customer Support - 5 <vero@ebay.co.uk>
Betreff: VeRO Program -- eBay Listing Removed
Datum: 12. August 2010 02:45:05 MESZ

Thank you for contacting us.

We are pleased to inform you that the following listing(s) you reported have been removed from eBay in response to the Notice of Claimed Infringement you recently sent:

xyz (name and item number changed by me)
xxxxxxxxx

We have notified the seller and all participating bidders that the listing(s) has been removed due to your request.

If the Notice of Claimed Infringement contained items that are not listed above you will receive a separate email communication about those items. These notices may arrive at different times (over a period of up to several hours) as items for different sellers are processed separately.

If you should have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

VeRO Program
eBay Trust & Safety

eBay knows about the criminals and try not to loose its reputation. However some days later the criminals makes a new account and starts again. Sadly the internet is flooded more and more with criminals in the last years...

Gerhard

[hellosailor]

Jim, I don't say you have to stuff it with other things at all. But since you are "using up" an entire "disc"...why not make that disc as valuable as it can be, to attract the widest crowd? Might as well fill it with goodies, that makes it more likely to be kept and PASSED AROUND to other sailors. As opposed to someone looking at it and maybe tossing it after one look.

[HotRod]

When you put a copyright sign on it, when you do not own the rights - it's a violation against all copyright laws... Check on the bottom left of the page... A huge copyright sign...

Originally Posted by eBay

This listing, its design and layout, and product are copyright of eBay user 6021MARIE. Any breach of copyright will be dealt with through eBays VeRO program and then small claims and damages of £250 sort for each breach.

[hellosailor]

Frode, you misread that copyright notice.
"This listing, its design and layout, and product "
That's expressing a copyright on the LISTING ITSELF, because people rip each other off by copying an entire LISTING when they sell the same product. In this case the product is a CD, and yes, they can copyright the design of the CD even though they are not copyrighting the software that it contains.

[CarCode]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

Carcode....

Tell me more about this situation in Germany. News to me, and I'd like to learn about it. Links?

Dave

A judge in Hamburg, Germany, condemned recently a company which sold the free Firefox webbrowser: http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/gerv/...ata/Aus001.PDF

Gerhard

[HotRod]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Frode, you misread that copyright notice.
"This listing, its design and layout, and product "
That's expressing a copyright on the LISTING ITSELF, because people rip each other off by copying an entire LISTING when they sell the same product. In this case the product is a CD, and yes, they can copyright the design of the CD even though they are not copyrighting the software that it contains.

Well, I'm not sure there. I will think that this is in violation with the lifework rules, witch is the same that goes for copied/ripped music/movies or pictures/sketches...
There has been several trials in EU countries regarding similar events like this when it comes to reselling open source software.

I personally think that this person should be fined and forced to contribute all the earned money into this community.
I have contributed with many hours of translating and beta testing, and would NOT have any other than the community (hereby OpenCPN) to gain a profit out of this.

Bring the bugger in front of a judge!

[CarCode]

Originally Posted by HotRod

I personally think that this person should be fined and forced to contribute all the earned money into this community.
I have contributed with many hours of translating and beta testing, and would NOT have any other than the community (hereby OpenCPN) to gain a profit out of this.
Bring the bugger in front of a judge!

I second this.

[st599]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Jim, I don't say you have to stuff it with other things at all. But since you are "using up" an entire "disc"...why not make that disc as valuable as it can be, to attract the widest crowd? Might as well fill it with goodies, that makes it more likely to be kept and PASSED AROUND to other sailors. As opposed to someone looking at it and maybe tossing it after one look.

You could even make it into an Ubuntu Live CD with loads of reference works (Bowditch etc.) and Software.