How To Steal Code and Get Away With It

Open source or Free Software is said to be the act of allowing others to view and download your source codes without conditions other than they must maintain the same fervour when redistributing it to others. But that is academic. My question is what if the one who takes from you break that rule? Who is the police to stop them in such an act? I know there is a site where you can report such offenders, but how do you enforce something that is dificult to trace in the wild world web?

Take for instance if someone was to take Linux and relabel it as MyStuff and not distribute it but sell it to a naive obscure country that has no web access nor ministry of ICT. He would have made his millions and be long gone. So to me here is the moral of the story. He won't be the only one who has that idea. As there are many theives who eye a bank, so are there even more, much more simpletons who eye readily available codes. So many in fact, that as we speak they are already peddling them in unknown ways and unknown places.

With such a high proliferation of smut activity, it won't be smut for long. The ubiquity of a crime renders it ineffective because the would be buyer already knows about it within the shortest time possible. The following is a probable conversation you may come across if you were to push your fast gotten wares:

"Excuse me, can you take me to your leader, you know, head of this banana republic"

"Ok, whats in it for me?"

"Hmm... gatekeeper eh? Ok, tell you what, how about you help make close the deal and i make you my country manager with 30% commissions?"

"Well, i think i prefer upfront, and in cash, and please not in my local currency. It is already at 100,000% inflation around here, so in USD please. On second thoughts, please make that in Euros. On third thought please hand me some gold bars or diamond pieces".

"Hmm, well ok, but at the moment as you can see i got no such cash or stones. Do i look like some rich punk to you? I wouldn't be here if i am rich. Ok, tell you what. Why don't i tell you a bit about Open Source, its dark secrets and you take it and make money with your government?"

"Heh, sounds ok? What must i do?"

"Hang on, not so fast. You got to pay me first before i can tell you!"

So, this kind of medicinal story can be retold in many combinations but you probably already know from your own devious attempts at cooking up your own angles of cashing in. Perhaps you like to share some of your real life experiences or otherwise fantasies here.