I posted a design on a blog and was sued for ‘unauthorized use of software’… Steel frame fabricator in his 40s not indicted

A steel frame fabricator in his 40s who was sent to the prosecution for posting blueprints created using the program on his work blog despite not purchasing modeling software was acquitted.

According to the legal community on the 28th, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict Mr. A, who was transferred on charges of violating the Copyright Act on the 7th of last month. Mr. A was accused of violating copyright by using Company B's modeling program without permission for five years starting in 2018 and posting the results on a blog.

Company B sued Mr. A, claiming that he created a blueprint using the company's program without purchasing genuine software and then used it for work-related advertising.

Mr. A denied the charges, saying he only works on steel structures and does not even know how to use design programs. When a steel frame production request comes in, it is a common practice in the industry to hire a technician using Company B's program to provide design services, and he said he also worked on steel frame production in this way.

Mr. A also refuted that he ran the blog to receive more orders, and that he only posted other people's design results downloaded from the Internet or obtained in the course of work.

The prosecution determined that Mr. A may have written the blog post based on data obtained through another designer. As a result of the investigation, as Mr. A claimed, requesting design services is a common industry practice, and there was a history of Mr. A actually requesting design services.

Attorney Cho Min-woo of Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A, said, "Using software for work while knowing that it is unauthorized copying software is a copyright infringement. However, Mr. A was only responsible for production, not design, so he emphasized that he had never used Company B's program and did not know how to use it, so he was able to receive a decision of not guilty."

Reporter Jeong Cheol-wook

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After uploading the design to the blog, I was sued for ‘unauthorized use of software’… Non-indictment of steel frame fabricator in his 40s (link)