Legal Questions
What is osDate?
osDate is a free, fully open-source dating script using PHP technology. It is distributed at TUFaT.com
Is osDate copyrighted?
Yes, even open-source software is copyrighted. The copyright is owned by Darren Gates.
Is osDate patented?
No. Software source code is not normally patented in the United States.
Is the osDate logo or name trademarked?
No. This means that you may legally use osDate.ext, where ext is .com, .org, .net. etc. TUFaT.com is the permanent home of osDate. You may freely use the osDate logo in any capacity.
Can I re-distribute osDate?
Yes, you can re-distribute osDate, and re-sell osDate under the osDate name or any other name of your choosing.
Can I claim credit for developing osDate?
This is more of an ethics question. You shouldn't claim credit for something that you didn't write, but since it's fully GPL software, nothing is going to happen to you if you do.
If osDate ruins my server, what recourse do I have?
Absolutely none. osDate is released without any guarantees of reliability, accuracy, or security. You use it at your own risk. osDate has been tested on a variety of servers, and it's certainly not expected to harm your server or website.
If user privacy is compromised, what recourse do I have?
Absolutely none. osDate is released without any privacy guarantees. If you have a stalker on your dating website, this is your responsibility, not the responsibilty of the osDate developers. At TUFaT.com, we make the software available, but it's up to you to use it and manage it responsibly.
Who wrote osDate?
osDate has had multiple contributors over the past 2 years, including Darren Gates, Vijay Nair, Shahid Altaf Qureshi, Claudiu Cismaru, Matthew Iliashenko. Testing and design assistance has been provided by dozens of individuals (too many to name). You can find many of them on the forum.
Can I remove or modify the "Powered by osDate" link?
Sure. You can change any part of the osDate system to suit your needs.
Are the graphics and images of osDate copyrighted?
I actually don't know. Most of the sample photos in the default osDate install were taken off of Google image searches. Before you use osDate in a production environment, I recommend that you remove all existing profiles, just in case. Any images that are part of the osDate templates however are fully GPL and free to use in any capacity. They were designed from scratch by freelance graphic designers hired by myself. If you recognize one or more images within osDate as being copyrighted, please let me know and I'll remove it from the osDate download.
How does TUFaT.com make money off of osDate?
It's true... I'm not totally altruistic when it comes to releasing software. I actually have my own for-profit dating service based on osDate, and osDate users are more likely to purchase related products like FlashChat and FlashBB. Eventually, one of more of the Flash image galleries will be integrated with osDate, and perhaps other products as well. There are tentative plans to sell an osDate "module pack" and an osDate "theme pack", too, probably for $5 each. The core system will always be free.
Good luck with osDate!
Darren