Clarify license type and status about lazarus_addon

[NormG1]

The only recourse a copyright holder has is a lawsuit. After the number of attempts made to contact Seth with no response, I assume he is dead. I doubt he is going to sue anyone. Just document all the steps that have been taken to contact Seth and license his code. You might even go so far as to attempt to locate an address and mail a certified letter. Bottom line is to show a good faith effort was made to contact Seth.

See a lawyer, but my guess is Seth's code is public domain by now. And if it isn't Seth seems to have no interest in it. Create an incorporated non-profit company, and transfer ownership of the new product with its new name to this company. copyright the new version as Open Source, give Seth credit as in Inspired by Lazarus created by Seth Whatshisname. Then publish the add-on.

If Seth comes out of the woodwork, the worst that can happen is the new app must be taken down. No lawyer in his right mind would sue a non-profit corporation with no assets.

[guysoft]

It could be argued this is public domain at this point.

[nihaals]

And I think it's unlikely that open source projects will ever reach that point

[maphew]

I am not a lawyer and all that, but: a copyrighted work does not become public domain until the copyright term expires or the holder says so. It doesn't matter if he's not answering mail or is deceased. It is perfectly ok to say "hey we did all this work to make the thing function in a new environment" and own *that,* and redistribute *that* work under whatever licence. The core thing still belongs to the original copyright holder and his license though. The other stuff about documenting the attempts to contact author and so on I agree with. The group isn't big or cohesive enough to form a non-profit organization. (At this point, in my opinion. Prove me wrong and I'll jump for joy). Really though our biggest problem right now is we don't have a coder "on staff". Let's say we navigate the add-on licence gateway and get published. Then what? Lazarus will get used and tested in thousands of new situations, problems will be found, and people will start talking about them. A very high proportion will be complaints. and we will only be able to act on or remedy a very very few. (responding to this last paragraph should be in a different thread. Not sure if there's one started yet.) My 2c

[NormG1]

Really though our biggest problem right now is we don't have a coder "on staff". Let's say we navigate the add-on licence gateway and get published. Then what? Lazarus will get used and tested in thousands of new situations, problems will be found, and people will start talking about them. A very high proportion will be complaints. and we will only be able to act on or remedy a very very few.

Anyone want to start a real company and sell this thing?

[guysoft]

Number-wise I think its a side job at the least. If someone develops it under Patron or Donorbox it might work.
The truth is I could be glad to help with integration (aka, you put code and get a build and its published), but I can't find build instructions, and no one answers me on the discord.

I am willing to contribute how management of the code if someone explains me how to get this repo to an xpi.