choose-your-software-license (in a nutshell)

[levi]

As far as I know, licenses still apply in China, but it's a matter of enforcability.  Explicitly, China doesn't observe software patents which is one way western software companies try to stop copying of software ideas, but they have acceded to the Berne convention so the actual code is still protected by copyright.  But it's such a big country that finding out out if people are pirating your software is difficult.  Fundamentally, they generally don't see it in their interests to clamp down on it.

 

[comradekingu]

It has a little bit to do with isolation and governing of someone elses rights. Cuba is the country that cares the least about copyright. Just like they dont care about trademark law in Russia, even though its in (partly) Europa.  China generally violate GPL quite often, and have disregard for copyright law.

In many ways that hampers innovation, because the monetary barrier of doing something  with closed source or the implied sharing, isn't there.

 

[levi]

Russia's not in the EU.

Ignoring copyright counters innovation mainly because it's hard to make money off making something when the guy next door can copy it wholesale and sell it for a penny cheaper.

 

[comradekingu]

I meant europe, derped. Well, its mostly closed source that gets pirated, which means you have to sell the foss stuff on its own merits.