Cory DoctorowApr 23

An interesting stunt: Malus.sh will take your money and in exchange it will ingest any free/open source code you want, refactor that code using an LLM, and spit out a "clean room" version that is freed from all the obligations imposed by the original project's software license:

https://www.404media.co/this-ai-tool-rips-off-open-source-software-without-violating-copyright/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/04/23/poison-pill/#kobayashied

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Show threadClayfootApr 23
@pluralistic Malus.sh says it returns code with corporate-friendly licensing, but it can't be, right? As affirmed by recent ruling, an AI-produced work has no copyright protection in the U.S., because only humans can hold copyrights. The court cases weren't about source code specifically, but there's no reason to believe the rulings exempt source code either. Malus.sh produces public domain source code, just like any other AI code generator.
Show threadCory Doctorow
@clayfoot You need to keep reading this thread!
Apr 23 at 12:49pmWeb
Show threadClayfootApr 23
@pluralistic I sure do! Just getting to the part that explains it way better than me.
Show threadCory DoctorowApr 23
@clayfoot Great minds think alike!