Harmony horrors

Written By
Web Webster
Web Webster
Aug 3, 2011

“The whole problem with CLA’s and the like is and remains that
you give but don’t get even the least of protection or right. All
risk remains with you – if you overlooked any patents on the code
you just signed away to the company, they can sue you, or let
others do so. And you can infringe on patents of the code you
yourself just wrote. And in case you’re defending yourself in
court, they can sell your patents you need to defend yourself to
the company attacking you (or they already might have, years
ago).

So they get to monetize your contribution any way they see fit,
including selling it to the highest bidder, patenting it and suing
anyone who writes something similar. You get – well, what do you
mean, you want something?

Complete
Story

Web Webster

Web Webster

Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.