TL;DR: This is my main hustle as a software developer, so bear with me. I understand that intellectual property is a touchy subject. The reason I use public domain for my bots is because I want people to get excited about jumping right into STEEM without unnecessary cognitive load. My position is descriptive, not prescriptive.
Of all the licenses out there, I like CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) the best (aka public domain). I certainly don't go for GPL but I also don't even go BSD License or MIT License, even though they are great alternatives.
I am not a lawyer, so I cannot legally advise which license anyone should use. To do so would violate the law in most jurisdictions. But I think that's silly, so I'll break the ice and law at the same time. Here's your illegal legal advice:
I declare to anyone reading this that in the event any judge
issues you a summons, I hereby advise you to get to court on
time. This and the previous statement represents the entire
advice I issue on the subject.
There, I broke the law. Wups!!
Anyway. Why are my bots free? Here's the simple reason: I believe they're so good, they'll lock up STEEM Power.
That's my goal. Write bots that compel people to buy STEEM and Power Up. If you like my software, there's no need to send me a tip. You can pay me by staking and running your own bot. That's it.
And I feel like the public domain license takes away one small roadblock for people to run my bots.
I don't disapprove of people claiming intellectual property. I think they probably even have standing for damages if their IP has been infringed.
The way I see it, the problem is the notion of jurisdiction. There are plenty of courts that claim jurisdiction. I'm just not convinced they have a valid claim to adjudicate. To me, that throws the whole notion of jurisdiction and intellectual property into question.
On the other hand, if you are sure about that notion, then you should assert your claim of intellectual property.
Also, I am happy to adhere to any reasonable license people assert. If your license says I need to plant a tree in order to use your software, you can get bent. But if your requirement is that I cite your work and/or pay you $10, and if I think it's worth $10, I'll pay it. If I don't think it's worth $10, I won't pay it and I'll adhere to your license and refrain from using your software. That's fair enough for me.
I personally desire that people use public domain. But I will not force you to use public domain, even if I think the jurisdiction you cite is faulty.
We didn't believe you at first, but we asked like three people who were at that party. They not only corroborated your story, but even said you totally mentioned wanting to start a company someday. Sorry! If this isn't enough money, let us know.
