If WhatsApp wants to get rid of the project, shouldn't they send a DMCA request to GitHub rather than individual users? That way they could wipe out the clones/forks too.
(I'm not saying I want them to do that -- just curious why the lawyers aren't using that technique.)
Still, most platforms have somekind of program like eBay's Vero service that is used to report and enforce violations of its terms of service that trademarks and copyrights not be used without permission. Which would have been the better way to go in this case.
What I don't understand is that in theory filing invalid DMCA takedown requests is an actual crime -- yet nobody ever seems to go after companies that do it.
Just another reason the DMCA is fundamentally broken.
Yeah, seems like one of those law firms where companies hire them to handle the distasteful part of their obligation to defend their intellectual property.
It sounds good, we'll do this basically free for you and collect our own fees from violators. But they don't know just how much damage these groups can do to their credibility. Rolex is another company that has lost my business forever with their scam.
The law states you have to send a letter. The scam part is in demanding money or profits made from a perceived violation of IP. Companies that do that crap can die in a fire.
(I'm not saying I want them to do that -- just curious why the lawyers aren't using that technique.)