KAM Industries suing JMRI (DecoderPro) - Model Railroader Magazine

While we are not privy to the KAM industries code, we can see their XML configuration files and when you look you see that KAM took the JMRI decoder config files and ran them through an automated convertor and used them lock-stock-and-barrel as part of their system.

It's pretty easy to see KAM did this because the same identical mispellings and description wording that is in the JMRI XML config files is in the KAM config files ... oops!

JMRI now says KAM violated their open source copyright ... but KAM has countered that they didn't think open source code was protected by a copyright. Also it's interesting to note that KAM made no mention in any of their promotional materials that they used JMRI code as part of their system. Again, oops!

Open source code for the most part is protected by a General use copyright statement that says you are free to use the code *as long as you credit the source* and *that you continue to make the derivative product* available for free under the same copyright protection. Lifting the code without giving credit that you have done so and using it in a commercial product is *strictly forbidden* by this kind of open source copyright.

This will be a very interesting case to watch because it will be the first time this free for public use but not for commercial use open source copyright will be tested in the courts. If it doesn't hold up, then that's going to send an awful chill throughout the entire open source movement ... so this case is history in the making and it could dramatically affect the future of software development around the world.