Robert Rosario, the developer behind the open source document management tool Mayan EDMS, has pulled the development code of the software from public repositories. He claims it's being pinched by folks who use it in ways not allowed by the GNU Public Licence.

In a Google+ post, Rosario says he works hard to make the software, happily releases it for free under the GPL, but reserves the right to retain property rights to the code. That's perfectly fair, he argues, given that the code is free to download and use.

He's therefore very, very, upset because, as he writes:

“It has come to my attention that there are a number of unauthorized forks of Mayan EDMS being offered for download as if the original version was being abandoned and at least one fork is being sold with a commercial license to add insult to injury.”

Rosario has therefore taken the step of adding a page to Mayan's Github presence listing GPL infringers, along with a notice saying:

If you see any of these products either online or as a physicial retail offering, be aware that they are just unauthorized clones being sold illegally.

Rosario hasn't said if the withdrawal of development code is permanent, but does say it's gone “until I figure out what to do or that it is finished and ready for public release as the next version of Mayan EDMS.” ®