Protecting Open Projects-When Ideas Are Replicated and Sold

General
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Maternal health is a deeply personal concern for me. As part of the Code for Health team developing the Healthy Mother App, which helps pregnant women track their pregnancies, manage medications, schedule clinic visits, and much more.

The goal is to make this app an open-source Digital Public Good, freely accessible to anyone who wants to use or build on it.

What if someone doesn’t take our code but instead studies our system closely, builds a similar app, improves on it, and then sells it commercially without involving us or giving credit?

Do we have any legal rights or protections in Sierra Leone or internationally in this kind of situation?

I want to hear your thoughts on:

Ibrahim Success Swaray

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Hi Mr Swaray

I really admire the work you and your team are doing. Creating Healthy Mother App that supports pregnant women is not just technical work, it’s meaningful and life changing. You’re building for real people, and that matters.

From my own experience and understanding, once something is open source, it can be reused or even adapted by others. Sometimes people won’t take the code directly, but they’ll study your system, copy the idea, make small changes, and then try to sell it without any credit. That can feel really discouraging when your goal is to help.

One thing that helps is putting a clear license on the project. Not something complex, just something that says what others can do and what they can’t. For example, some licenses allow reuse but ask that credit is always given, or that the project isn’t used for profit without permission. It won’t stop everyone, but it gives you something to point to if needed.

Also, making your story visible really helps. Let people know where the idea came from, who built it, and what impact it’s already making. When your name is tied to the work and people recognize your team, it becomes harder for others to quietly copy it.

At the end of the day, no one can copy the vision and care that went into what you’ve built. Keep going. We need more tools like this that come from the people, for the people.

Hassan Wurie

Data Scientist, AI Engineer, AI Researcher

Open Source & Digital Public Goods Advocate

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Thank you so much, Mr Hassan, I really appreciate your thoughtful response and encouragement.

I’ve heard about open-source licenses like MIT and Creative Commons, and I understand how they help when someone reuses your actual code.

But my main concern is when someone doesn’t use your code, uses a completely different tech stack, but still copies all the core features and flow of your system, improves on it, and sells it without any credit or collaboration.

In that kind of case, is there any legal protection?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Ibrahim Success Swaray

DPG Lead IPAM

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It will be interesting to hear thoughts from @vipul and @Bayoh on this

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Great insights ! Do you mind doing a topic around Software license ?

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I have a lot of thoughts on this… cracks fingers.

When you choose to open source something, you’re inherently accepting that people will take your code and move in their own directions. not a bug.. a feature. The power of open source comes from this collaborative evolution, not from controlling use cases. Your goal should be to have a collaborative and inviting space where you can innovate together with competitors (think “a rising tide lifts all boats”).

on technical terms however - Ideas/functionality are not copyrighted.. doesn’t matter if your source code is open or not! The reality is that keeping source code closed doesn’t prevent replication. After all, Amazon’s code is secret, but that hasn’t stopped countless other online retailers from emerging. more so today than ever - any skilled engineer or MANY AI system nowadays can study your app’s functionality, user interface, and features to build something similar. Your source code isn’t really the “secret sauce” - the value lies elsewhere. If your IP (source code) is your primary competitive advantage, your business model may be at risk regardless. The sustainable value in your app likely comes from:

  • Your deep understanding of maternal health needs in Sierra Leone
  • Local partnerships with healthcare providers
  • Cultural contextualization and language support
  • Your team’s domain expertise and relationships
  • Brand trust and community engagement
  • Ongoing support and development and more I am sure you can list..

so, what else if not source code? Create more value! - capture part of it.. there’s a compelling way to think about this from the open source community: aim to create at least 100 times more value than you capture. When you release the Healthy Mother App as open source, you’re potentially creating massive value - improved maternal health outcomes globally, innovation by other developers, reduced healthcare costs, lives saved. Even if others build commercial products on your work, the net positive impact can be extraordinary - and can be for your business too if you are smart about capturing value from that impact. This ROI comes from becoming the trusted, go-to brand, which in turn attracts grants, key partnerships, and top talent..

Your legal protections in Sierra Leone and internationally depend on your licensing choice. MIT or Apache licenses provide attribution requirements, while GPL licenses require derivative works to also be open source. But honestly, your sustainable competitive advantage won’t come from legal enforcement - it’ll come from execution, relationships, and continuous innovation - also to reiterate, ideas/functinality are not copyright-able.

The goal isn’t to prevent others from building on your work - it’s to ensure you’re creating so much value that your natural advantages (local knowledge, partnerships, trust) keep you competitive while contributing to a much larger positive impact.

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Is Whatsapp Open-source?
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Wow, I really appreciate this breakdown it gave me a lot to reflect on. You’re absolutely right, the real value is in our local knowledge, partnerships, and community trust, not just the code itself. I love the idea of creating 100x more value than we capture that’s a powerful mindset shift. Thank you for sharing this..

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Wow, thank you @Techlinkus :raising_hands:

Your comment really meant a lot — especially your point about local knowledge and community trust being more valuable than just code. That’s the mindset we’ve been trying to promote through our work at NextGen Tech Solutions.

I believe if we openly share our blueprints, build in public, and empower others to localize or remix them, we multiply impact. :light_bulb:

May I ask: Are you currently working on any project or idea that you think could become a DPG or benefit from open collaboration?

I’d be happy to support or brainstorm with you.

Ishmeal Kamara

DPG Advocate

GreenBin Lead Developer

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Thank you for sharing this important concern, Mr Ibrahim — and huge respect for the work you and your team are doing with the Healthy Mother App. Maternal health is a critical issue in Sierra Leone, and digital solutions like this have the power to save lives.

Your question about protection is very valid. From what I’ve learned:

:white_check_mark: If your app is released under a proper open-source license (like MIT, GPL, or Creative Commons), you can define conditions — such as requiring attribution, preventing commercial resale, or enforcing that any modifications remain open.

:cross_mark: If no license is attached, or if the license is too permissive, then unfortunately others can legally build similar apps, even for commercial purposes, without involving your team.

:globe_showing_europe_africa: In Sierra Leone, legal frameworks for tech/IP are still developing, but international copyright laws still apply — especially if your work is published and documented publicly (e.g. on GitHub with timestamps).

My suggestion would be:

  • Choose a clear license that protects your values (e.g. Attribution-ShareAlike).
  • Document your development journey online (GitHub, website, publications).
  • Seek support from organizations that advocate for open-source integrity and DPG standards.

You’ve raised a really important point — how do we keep solutions open and inclusive, while also protecting the hard work of teams like yours?

Happy to connect and discuss more anytime!

Ishmeal Kamara

DPG Advocate

NextGen Tech Solutions

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Yes @Ishmeal I’m currently exploring DPG-focused solutions in education, especially using AI to make work easier for both students and teachers. From personalized learning to intelligent content support, there’s huge potential in combining open tech with local needs.

I strongly believe in open collaboration and would love to exchange ideas or co-create where our goals align.

Let’s definitely connect and keep pushing social innovation forward! :light_bulb::handshake:

Ibrahim Success Swaray

Founder, Tech Link Us | DPG Lead – IPAM

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Absolutely, Ibrahim! :raising_hands:

I strongly align with your vision — combining AI-powered solutions with open digital public goods (DPGs) is exactly the direction the world needs, especially in education. At the core of what I’m building, including our work on Healthy Mother App and beyond, is the belief that technology must serve real people in real contexts.

Let’s definitely keep this conversation alive. I’d love to explore areas where we can co-create, whether in education, health, or community-driven platforms. The synergy between Tech Link Us and what we’re doing at NextGen could spark something powerful. :rocket::globe_showing_europe_africa:

Open tech. Local impact. Let’s build forward together. :handshake:

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I couldn’t agree more — open tech with real local context is how we drive sustainable impacts.

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Just a little bit of clarification on risk of being pedantic

All open source license allow commercial use case. doesn’t matter if it’s MIT, Apache, or one of the GPLs.

CC’s Attribution-NonCommercial license is tricky but it’s not for software - and there’s lack of clarity of what defines as commercial.. but also - it’s not OSI definition conformant - Not open source!!

quoting open source definition’s first point.

“The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale.”

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Please patent your product. There should be a Patent Office in Sierra Leone that is part of the International Patent Organisation

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With regards, to all the updates about the safe health care provided by DPG ,will it be available at all time for everyone in sierra Leone