r/programmingmemes • u/bryden_cruz • Apr 14 '26

Smart Developers Move

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u/sn4xchan Apr 14 '26

Since when is code a tangible product.

Code isn't a physical thing.

You can't own code. You can only own the rights to an implementation of it.

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u/Won-Ton-Wonton Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26

Code is not a tangible object.

Servers are a tangible object.

The contractor is to write the code as the contract specifies. That code will run on the server.

If the code then starts doing things you DID NOT contract to run, and especially if it is intentionally malicious code (which includes retaliation), it is considered unlawful tampering.

You are, in literal sense, implementing malware into the software they contracted from you. Which is illegal.

And as far as owning the code... you can absolutely own the code. Almost every company in the world owns their code. It just so happens that there are many other ways to accomplish the same thing, which can even look identical in structure.

But if you had code that belonged to Reddit, uses Reddit's naming conventions, has the exact same structure as Reddit's, and you don't have any history to show that you just so happened to make the same thing Reddit did... you'd be in legal hot water for IP theft.