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SOMEONES STEALING ADD-ONs AND SELLING THEM


OSC-Sevilla

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ah, here is an old one of mine 100$ please,

http://www.oscexp.com/features/compare-products-sidebyside-p-2192/

 

now the funny thing is, a supplier of us offers a paid for webshop solution based on osCommerce which has my code, I was free to subscribe to this webshop and keep on paying for it :D

I've even considered it as the subscription also included product catalog data ...

 

sorry, diverging, anyhow, wondered which contribution is the most expensive, I saw some clubosc also at 35$ :-

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

I do not use the responsive bootstrap version since i coded my responsive version earlier, but i have bought every 28d of code package to support burts effort and keep this forum alive (albeit more like on life support).

So if you are still here ? What are you waiting for ?!

 

Find the most frequent unique errors to fix:

grep "PHP" php_error_log.txt | sed "s/^.* PHP/PHP/g" |grep "line" |sort | uniq -c | sort -r > counterrors.txt

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I sell add ons as well, however none of them are the work of others. They are unique and although they are sold I have them registered in Canada under the Intellectual Property Act so they SHOULD not be re-sold once purchased. The problem is enforcing my rights in a world-wide market should I learn of someone reselling them.

 

So Eddy, although I can understand you being upset, as the others have pointed out, there is nothing really you can do about it.

 

 

 

Chris

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They are actually "allowed" to sell them, anyone can sell them if they so wish, even though that is pretty shady business ethics.

 

And to make maters worse, they proudly state:

You can obtain the source code or get free help from oscommerce forum.
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Perhaps they aren't selling the add on, but are charging for the installation ???

Chris

 

Thought so too at first, but then i saw that they have a "quote" form for installation. So it seems they charge extra for that too.

 

If the prices listed on that site was included installation and follow up support, then most of them are very reasonably prices.

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I guess they couldn't be bothered with something like changing their favicon from the default bluehost. They do say you don't have to buy it, you can the source code free from oscommerce, but mention they offer simple support if you buy from them.

 

It is not illegal but seems a little shady. But then again people re-sell information all the time.

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Just lookedon whois and suprise suprise it looks like another China rip off

 

Registrant:

Hao Ying

Cheng Zhong Zhong Lu 55-8

Yiwu, Zhejiang 322000

China

 

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, LLC (http://www.godaddy.com)

Domain Name: OSCEXP.COM

Created on: 13-Mar-07

Expires on: 13-Mar-13

Last Updated on: 14-Mar-12

 

Administrative Contact:

Ying, Hao ebusinessman@163.com

Cheng Zhong Zhong Lu 55-8

Yiwu, Zhejiang 322000

China

8613588697166

 

Technical Contact:

Ying, Hao ebusinessman@163.com

Cheng Zhong Zhong Lu 55-8

Yiwu, Zhejiang 322000

China

8613588697166

 

Domain servers in listed order:

NS1.BLUEHOST.COM

NS2.BLUEHOST.COM

REMEMBER BACKUP, BACKUP AND BACKUP

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Anyone who feels they're being ripped off by these guys selling their donated contributions could make noise with GoDaddy and BlueHost. I don't know if you have a legal leg to stand on (exactly what license did you donate them under?), but maybe you can make their host uncomfortable enough with them to drop them.

 

It would be a shame for the flow of free add-ons to slow to a trickle if they're essentially being "stolen" for profit. Perhaps osC should clarify the license that code can NOT be sold, nor can a fee be charged for installing it (or doing anything else with this code)? Would it be bad to hurt those whose business is installing and setting up osC for others? After all, they are profiting off of others' hard work, whether they're selling the free add-ons themselves, or just charging to install them. Unfortunately, if you bar selling an add-on, the unscrupulous will simply sell it through the back door with an excessive charge to install and configure it.

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I just got this email after contacting them

 

 

Hi,

 

 

I am not selling the free stuff which you can get from oscommerce site. I am selling my skills to install them for you or other clients.

 

 

Installing these addons is not an easy job. If you are not an experienced coder, it may:

 

1. take you several days to intall one add 2. corrupt the files and result in may problems 3. make the site instable

 

 

With my help, you can avoid these thing and just focus on your own business. That's why I started this website. Glad to help.

 

 

Regards,

 

Hao

REMEMBER BACKUP, BACKUP AND BACKUP

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This was my email history with these people so far...

 

Three interesting remarks in red:

//time and energy - wait is´nt that Our time and Our energy!

//obeys GNU protocal - The core software, OK, my username and broadcast rights to it- no!

//Take care of your words. - You have been caught-out

 

Not really much one can do about it but it leaves a bitter taste..... I´ll let you decide..

 

 

Not one for rocking the boat too hard.... it began like this:

------------------------------------------------------

 

ME:

 

To who may concern:

 

Your stealing.

 

http://www.oscexp.com/features/banner-multi-language-mod-p-8083/

 

 

I coded and posted this on OSC and you have taken it and trying to sell it.

 

You have even left my username there.

 

Please remove this page before legal action is taken. 30 days as of 12 July

2012.

 

----------

//THEM

Hi, ------!

 

hey, no man is stealing it. We don't sell the addon, but the installation service. You can hardly find a fool in open source world.

 

Your addon does not make money for us, but our time and energy earns the cash. If you can remove it from osCommerce site, we'll remove this. Or else, you are hampering the free distribution rights of software that obeys GNU protocal.

 

Take care of your words.

 

Regards,

Hao

 

-----------------------

 

ME

 

Are you officially part of OScommerce?

 

When I signed up to OSC and thereby obligated to their privacy policy and conditions; does that entitle you and everyone else the freedom to reference my user name and attempt to pass-off "OSC memeber" material from yor site, advertise it with my username to solicit money and do it without direct reference to OSC?

 

Had you not have included my OSC user name there proberly would be no disagreement.

 

Please kindly remove the user name tag and replace it with the official OSC site link.

 

I should trust that this is an acceptable and very reasonable solution.

 

I produce and continue to produce OSC addons, posts, etc. that in tern help the OSC community

and disagree with you directly benifiting from the hard work of OSC members.

 

30 days still applys!

:shifty:

 

-------------------

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@@OSC-Sevilla

 

If in fact he is only charging for his time to install the contributions, then he is doing nothing that thousands of professionals do every day. Those who are not capable of making modifications to their websites, hire developers to make those changes. There is nothing wrong with that.

 

ie. You buy tires for your car but lack the equipment and skill to install and balance them on your car. You HIRE someone to do it for you. (the name of the tire manufacturer does not have to be removed simply because the manufacturer isn't installing them for the customer)

 

 

 

 

Chris

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It does not matter what he is selling. If I upload XYZ as a addon here, it automatically is GPL (or BSD isn't it now). The freedom of the GPL allows anyone to take my (GPL) work and sell it, give it away, print it off and make a bonfire or whatever.

 

There is precisely nothing wrong with what he is doing. Think for a moment, and allow me to go a little deeper...

 

As shopowners you all use osCommerce for selling stuff. It's great isn't it. All the hard work that HPDL, Jan, Mark and more have put in over the last 12 years. And you get all that for NOTHING. How many of you shopowners have sent payment to osCommerce as recognition of that? A fraction of the userbase I would suggest.

 

Now, think about all those addons you've used over the years; some worked, some didn't. How many times have you sent many to the addon developers in recognition of them helping you in your business? Again, a tiny fraction.

 

Let's forget money. Let's talk about common courtesy...how many times have you shopowners contacted any of the addon developers or the core team, just to say "you allowed me to set up my business on a worldwide basis, thank you very much, you should be really proud". I suspect a tiny fraction. For my free addons and there are quite a few, I can count on the fingers of 1 hand the amount of people who have said "thanks for this" without wanting more. Isn't that sad? It seems that Open Source and GPL is all about taking for 90% of people, with nothing in return.

 

Note that some shopowners are absolutely understanding that the Core Team and developers have helped them to sell, and some have posted in this thread.

 

@@MrPhil - "It would be a shame for the flow of free add-ons to slow to a trickle" - this has already happened.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I sell add ons as well, however none of them are the work of others. They are unique and although they are sold I have them registered in Canada under the Intellectual Property Act so they SHOULD not be re-sold once purchased. The problem is enforcing my rights in a world-wide market should I learn of someone reselling them.

 

So Eddy, although I can understand you being upset, as the others have pointed out, there is nothing really you can do about it.

 

 

 

Chris

You can register these works all you want, but if they are derivative works from osC (ie use any osC based functionality) you do not have a any ability to stop people from selling, giving them away etc. They are licensed under the GNU and as such your registration means nothing.

 

I have read these things from you before Chris and I am wondering how your last issue where you said you were pursuing legal challenges to some one releasing your work?

 

I am also wondering why you choose to use a free cart system then try to enforce protections on work, when your entire business is based off of a free cart system and related developments.

 

Pretty sad in my opinion.

 

cheers

Peter McGrath

-----------------------------

See my Profile (click here) for more information and to contact me for professional osCommerce support that includes SEO development, custom development and security implementation

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