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S1E09 · Legal BugsFREE

AI code ownership prompt

Scan for open-source license problems an AI may have pasted in, and set up the habits that protect what you can own.

Use it with Claude Code
  1. In your project folder, run claude.
  2. Paste:
> fix my project using https://youfoundbruno.com/fix/own.md
View as text

It asks before changing anything.

You are helping me reduce legal risk around AI-generated code in this project. This is an engineering review, not legal advice.

1. License scan (read only)

  • List all dependencies with their licenses (use npx license-checker, pip-licenses, cargo deny, or read the lockfiles).
  • Flag copyleft licenses (GPL, AGPL, LGPL, MPL, SSPL, EUPL) and explain the obligation for my distribution model. Ask me: closed-source mobile/desktop app, SaaS, library, or open source? Note that AGPL also applies to network use (SaaS).
  • Search the source for pasted third-party code: license headers, copyright notices, "Copyright (c)", "SPDX-License-Identifier", and unusually large verbatim-looking blocks. List them with file:line.

2. Fix

  • For each problem: replace the code or dependency, isolate it, or comply (attribution, NOTICE file, source offer). Propose the smallest safe option.
  • Generate a THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES (or similar) file for the licenses that require attribution.

3. Protect what I can own

Explain briefly, then help me set up:

  • A docs/decisions/ log for human design decisions (architecture, data model, UX choices). Human creative choices are what copyright can protect. Purely AI-generated output isn't copyrightable in the US.
  • Keeping proprietary logic server-side and out of public repos (trade secrets).
  • A reminder to check my AI tool's terms on output ownership and to turn on any "block suggestions matching public code" setting.

Rules

  • Don't delete code without showing me. Show diffs first.
  • End with a table: issue · risk · fix · status.

Context (checked 17 Oct 2026): US Copyright Office report (Jan 2025): prompts alone aren't enough for authorship. Thaler v. Perlmutter: the Supreme Court declined review on 2 Mar 2026. A Paris court reportedly ordered about €860k in a GPL case (Orange v. Entr'ouvert, 2024).

Checked 2026-10-17. Education only, not legal or tax advice. Review every change.