Senator Conroy, remove that code!

David Heath
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 12:49

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The author of the tag cloud javascript code used on the DBCDE website has demanded it be removed.

Recent reports of the Minister's page on the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) refusing to add the term "ISP Filter" to the real-time tag cloud have reached the author of the original code.

He is not happy.

When iTWire first looked at the source to the Minister's page, there was a clear attribution for the author of the code (Aleks Bochniak) and also the name of the site developer.  Both have since been removed.

In addition, the original source code was provided on Bochniak's website as a tutorial; with a clear copyright statement. 

In an email to the department (the blog post is not clear as to exactly who the email was directed), Bochniak has asserted:

I would appreciate it if you could remove my javascript Tag Cloud from your website.

I do not want in any way to be associated with yourself, your office or your policies.

Removal of my code from your website is the only way to achieve this.

He continues…

They're more than welcome to use and modify my code, however appropriate credit should have been left in place. I don't want to take credit for what they've done, far from it. But, this is one usage of my code which I would have appreciated them asking my permission, because if I had known the final outcome I would not have let them.

The email was sent on the 1st March, thus far there has been no change to the website (other than the removal of names to protect the 'guilty!').

One wonders what effect a breach of copyright case against the DBCDE will have on their credibility.