Re: Security: Red Hat Linux or Microsoft? A case study

From: leslie (LESLIE_at_JRLVAX.HOUSTON.RR.COM)
Date: 08/07/04 

Date: Sat, 07 Aug 2004 18:14:34 GMT

AbeilleDeSucre (abeilledesucre@aol.com) wrote:
:
: 2) Overseas transcription: Is it safe?
:

Medical records aren't the same as software source code, but
Jolly Technologies' experience does show the need for uniform
intellectual property laws...

   http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/08/05/HNcodestolen_1.html
   InfoWorld: Source code stolen from U.S. software company in India...

  "Source code stolen from U.S. software company in India
   Company says insider stole source code and confidential design
   documents

   By John Ribeiro, IDG News Service August 05, 2004

   Jolly Technologies, a division of U.S. company Jolly Inc., reported
   Wednesday that an insider stole portions of the source code and
   confidential design documents relating to one of its key products, at
   its research and development center in Mumbai, India. The company has
   as a result halted all development activities at the center.

   Jolly Technologies is a vendor of labeling and card software for the
   printing industry. It set up its research and development facility in
   Mumbai less than three months ago, according to a press release from
   the parent company.

   The company said in the release that according to a report obtained
   from its branch in India, a recently hired software engineer used her
   Yahoo Inc. e-mail account, which now allows 100MB of free storage
   space, to upload and ship the copied files out of the research
   facility. After detecting the theft, the company is trying to prevent
   the employee from further distributing the source code and other
   confidential information, the company said.

   The vast majority of U.S.-based software companies require their
   employees to sign an employment agreement that prohibits them from
   carrying, or transferring in any way, the company's source code out of
   a development facility.

   Though the Indian branch of Jolly Technologies requires employees to
   sign a similar employment agreement, the sluggish Indian legal system
   and the absence of intellectual property laws make it nearly
   impossible to enforce such agreements, the company said.

   Representatives of San Carlos, California-based Jolly Technologies in
   Mumbai are working closely with local law enforcement authorities,
   seeking their assistance in taking corrective action against the
   employee and to prevent such crimes from occurring again.

   Whether Jolly or other companies will succeed in changing the
   fundamentals of the legal system in India is hard to say, but at this
   stage, Jolly Technologies has decided to delay further recruitment and
   halt development activities in India until further safeguards are in
   place, the release added."

Jerry

Relevant Pages

  • [Full-Disclosure] perhaps outsourcing needs a closer look by some companies;;
    ... company in India. ... the copied files out of the research facility. ... Though the Indian branch of Jolly Technologies requires employees to sign ... a similar employment agreement, the sluggish Indian legal system and the ...
    (Full-Disclosure)
  • Re: How safe is intellectual property in compiled binaries?
    ... For example, journal papers sometimes provide the pseudo-code, but never the full source code. ... How do companies react to fresh PhD graduates doing this? ... As an employee, one is working solely for the company's benefit, and so it's much more reasonable for one to be signing copyright and patent rights over to them. ... Also, if your university provides any sort of legal advice to students, it may be useful to talk to them about this before you graduate. ...
    (comp.lang.fortran)
  • Re: Unix/Linux IP?
    ... >>employee of SCO or Sun and had access to source code. ... >the Linux kernel. ...
    (comp.unix.sco.misc)
  • engineer eg digs Yvettes uniform
    ... so obviously the employee had gotten it elsewhere. ... it was the only non-Salomon source code. ... If you look up computer security literature and read up on security incidents, ...
    (rec.heraldry)
  • Re: Is it all free ? (follow up)
    ... I agree with the fact that what I created while being an employee is ... This means the source code, ... >binaries, and other files that were in your posession. ... >since you were being paid to create it, the company that paid you owns ...
    (comp.os.linux.development.apps)
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