Is it illegal to copy open source code?
It is never ok to copy and paste code from an open source project directly into your proprietary code. Don’t do it. Not only does copying and pasting code put your company (and perhaps your job) at risk, but it’s not leveraging the benefits that come with using open source code.
Is copying code without giving credit acceptable?
Whether you are copying a snippet of code or an entire module, you should credit the source. When you copy the code and adapt it, you should still credit the source.
What happens if you do not have a license for your code?
If your code does not have a license, it is automatically protected by your intellectual property/copyright. This varies by country, however if you’re in the US or territories this applies, and you can take legal action. “When you make a creative work (which includes code), the work is under exclusive copyright by default.
Can a programming code be copyrighted in a country?
Software code enjoys automatic copyright protection as it is made and can be registered with the Copyright Office in your country when completed. All software is protected by copyright, even things that are questionably software, like font files.
Can a copyright holder copy and distribute your work?
Unless you include a license that specifies otherwise, nobody else can use, copy, distribute, or modify your work without being at risk of take-downs, shake-downs, or litigation. Once the work has other contributors (each a copyright holder), “nobody” starts including you.
Do you need a copy of the MIT License?
The MIT license specifies this: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. So if you created a project and added the MIT license, then someone using it would have to include a copy of this license in their code base.