[FASherman]

Originally Posted by PlenoJure

I run a small site and even if I was doing something that was later proved to be legal, a very short legal battle would destroy my company. I can't afford to get cought up in a legal fight over something like this, I would rather see their legal opinion and abide by that, then not know and accedently do something to get myself sued.

(BTW: No, I'm not running this hack, I'm just trying to get some answers for future refference)

Never let the fear of legal costs keep you from pursuing your rights. Take this situation, as an example. First, Jelsoft would have to file suit against you. As the defendent, you have certain legal rights. One is to be compensated for the cost of your defense if Jelsoft fails to make their case. Secondly, you are entitled to countersue for damages to your good name. Just making an accusation of software piracy is highly damaging to those of us in the IT industry, even if we prevail in court.

A good lawyer will see just how fragile Jelsoft's claim is and may agree to take the case on a contingency basis. That is, if you loose, you pay the lawyer nothing, but if you win, Jelsoft pays the legal fees, plus the lawyer gets 20-30% of the damage award from the countersuit.

This type of arrangement is much more common than you might believe.