Devious New AI Tool “Clones” Software So the Original Creator Doesn’t Hold Copyright Over the New Version

Malus.sh is a real, satirically branded AI tool that recreates existing software from scratch without using the original code.

Its goal is to produce a legally distinct version that avoids copyright, attribution, and license obligations.

The story highlights growing tensions over clean-room rewrites, open-source norms, and AI-assisted software cloning.

As generative AI lowers the cost and speed of duplication, legal and business disputes over software ownership are likely to intensify.