OJT Product Protection & Intellectual Property Policy

1. Introduction

Open Journal Theme (“OJT”, “we”, “us”) protects every theme, plugin, and digital asset we build for Open Journal Systems (OJS), Open Monograph Press (OMP), Open Preprint Systems (OPS), and related platforms. This policy explains what we protect, what is not allowed, how we handle suspected violations, and what happens to anyone found in violation.

We published this policy after finding our products copied, rewritten (including with the help of artificial intelligence), and then sold or redistributed under another brand. This hurts us as developers. It also hurts customers who paid for a legitimate license, and it puts journal managers at risk when they unknowingly run unofficial copies that receive no security updates or technical support.

By purchasing, downloading, installing, or using any OJT product, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to this policy. It forms an integral part of the OJT License Terms and Conditions.

2. Definitions

In this policy, the following terms mean:

OJT / We: PT Inovasi Informatik Sinergi, the owner and operator of openjournaltheme.com and all of its products and services.
Products: all themes, plugins, modules, child themes, templates, documentation, and other digital materials developed, sold, or distributed by OJT, whether paid or free.
Proprietary Assets: the parts of a Product that are not licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), as described in Section 3.
Licensee: any individual, institution, or business that has legitimately obtained a Product license from OJT or an authorized OJT partner.
Third Party: anyone without a valid license, including unauthorized resellers, other theme developers, service providers, and users of unofficial copies.
Unauthorized Derivative Work: anything produced by copying, modifying, rewriting, paraphrasing, translating, converting, or restructuring a Product, whether by hand, with automated tools, or with AI, that is created or distributed without OJT’s written permission.
Rebranding: removing, replacing, or disguising OJT’s name, logo, trademarks, developer credits, or copyright notices on a Product or Derivative Work, and then presenting it as someone else’s work.
Violation: any act that breaches this policy, the OJT License Terms and Conditions, or applicable copyright and trademark law.

3. Scope and Ownership

OJT retains all copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights in its Products. When you buy a Product, you are buying a license to use it, not ownership of it. This policy covers, but is not limited to:

themes, plugins, modules, and child themes for OJS, OMP, OPS, and any other platform we support;
the interface design, layouts, visual composition, and overall look and feel of our Products;
CSS/SCSS, JavaScript, templates, icons, illustrations, images, and custom fonts created by OJT;
documentation, installation guides, video tutorials, help articles, product descriptions, screenshots, and demo pages;
product names, the OJT name, our logo, and other brand identifiers;
our license key system, activation mechanism, and update service.

License structure

OJS, OMP, and OPS are open-source software released under the GPL, and we respect its terms. For that reason, OJT Products use a split license:

Component	License	What it means
PHP code that interacts directly with OJS/OMP/OPS	GNU GPL v3	GPL rights apply. Any redistribution must keep OJT’s original copyright notices and be released under the GPL.
Proprietary Assets: design, CSS/SCSS, JavaScript, images, icons, illustrations, visual templates, documentation, and marketing materials	OJT Commercial License	May only be used as permitted by the license you purchased. Copying, redistribution, and resale are prohibited.
OJT name, logo, trademarks, and product names	Not licensed	May not be used without written permission, including in derivative products.
License keys, updates, technical support, and services	OJT Terms of Service	Provided only to active Licensees and may be terminated in case of a Violation.

The GPL license on the code gives no rights to our Proprietary Assets, the OJT brand, or OJT services. The GPL also does not allow anyone to remove copyright notices or credits to the original developer.

4. Licensee Rights

As long as your license is active and no Violation has occurred, you may:

install and use the Product on as many sites or domains as your license type allows;
install the Product on a development or staging environment that is not publicly accessible, for testing your licensed site;
modify the Product for your own licensed site;
keep backup copies to restore your own site;
receive updates and technical support during your service period.

Licenses are non-exclusive, non-transferable, and may not be sublicensed without OJT’s written consent. Agencies and service providers that install Products for clients must purchase a license for each client’s site.

5. Prohibited Actions

Licensees and Third Parties may not do any of the following, either directly or through someone else:

Unauthorized redistribution. Copying, sharing, reselling, renting out, or uploading Proprietary Assets to marketplaces, public repositories (such as GitHub or GitLab), forums, social media groups, file-sharing services, or nulled software sites.
Rebranding. Removing, replacing, or disguising OJT’s name, logo, developer credits, or copyright notices, and then presenting the Product as someone else’s work.
Rewriting to hide the origin. Rewriting, paraphrasing, translating, converting, or restructuring a Product’s code, design, or documentation, by hand or with AI or automated tools, and then claiming the result as new work. Renaming variables, functions, classes, files, or colors does not stop the result from being an Unauthorized Derivative Work.
Feeding Products to AI. Using OJT Products, code, documentation, or screenshots as input (prompts, examples, or training data) for an AI model in order to produce a competing or imitation product.
Copying the look and feel. Substantially imitating a Product’s design and visual character in a way that could suggest the product comes from, or is affiliated with, OJT.
License abuse. Using one license on more sites than allowed, sharing or selling license keys, or joining group buys.
License cracking. Modifying, disabling, or bypassing license verification or update mechanisms (nulling or cracking).
Services built on unofficial copies. Offering installation, customization, hosting, or maintenance services using unlicensed copies of a Product.
Trademark misuse. Using the OJT name or a Product name in another product’s name, a domain name, a social media account, paid ads, or ad keywords in a misleading way.
Misuse of marketing materials. Using OJT screenshots, demo pages, descriptions, or documentation to promote other products.
Helping others violate. Knowingly helping, funding, or enabling anyone else to do any of the above.

These restrictions do not limit the rights the GPL expressly grants for GPL-licensed code. Those rights, however, do not extend to our Proprietary Assets or the OJT brand, and they still require credit to OJT as the original developer.

6. Detection and Evidence

We actively monitor where our Products appear online, including marketplaces, code repositories, forums, journal websites, and nulled software sites. OJT Products also contain embedded digital identifiers in their code and assets that help prove where they came from.

When assessing a suspected Violation, we look at the evidence as a whole, including:

similar file structure, template hierarchy, and code logic;
similar function names, classes, hooks, locale keys, CSS selectors, and theme settings;
similar design, layout, color scheme, and visual elements;
matching code comments, bugs, or quirks found only in OJT Products;
the presence of OJT’s digital identifiers;
license activation data, registered domains, and purchase history;
code similarity analysis, dated screenshots, and web archives.

Rewriting a product with AI or automated tools does not erase its origin. If a product’s structure, sequence, and design choices substantially follow an OJT Product, we treat it as an Unauthorized Derivative Work, unless the other party can show it was developed independently.

We document, timestamp, and retain all evidence for dispute resolution and legal proceedings.

7. How We Handle Violations

We handle every suspected Violation step by step and give the other party a chance to respond.

Identify and secure evidence. Our team records the findings and secures the evidence before contacting the other party.
Internal review. Our technical team examines the findings and compares them with the OJT Product.
Written notice. We send a notice or formal warning letter to the registered email address or any publicly available contact. The notice describes the Violation, the key evidence, and what must be done.
Opportunity to respond. The other party has 7 calendar days to respond, stop the Violation, or show that their work was developed independently.
Decision and sanctions. Based on the evidence and any response, we make a decision and apply sanctions under Sections 8 to 10.
Escalation. If there is no response, the response is inadequate, or the Violation continues, we will take further action as set out in Sections 9 and 11.

Where the initial evidence is strong or the potential harm is significant, such as sales or mass distribution, we may suspend the party’s licenses and service access while the review is ongoing.

8. Sanctions for Licensees

Sanctions depend on how serious the Violation is. Serious Violations may receive the highest sanction straight away, without going through the lower levels first.

Level	Example	Sanction
Minor	Using the Product on more sites than the license allows, without redistribution or resale	Written warning and an obligation to buy the additional licenses within 7 calendar days
Moderate	Sharing license keys, group buys, installing for clients without licenses, or repeating a minor Violation	License suspension, payment for all missing licenses, and damages under Section 10
Serious	Redistribution, resale, Rebranding, rewriting for sale, license cracking, or repeating a moderate Violation	Unilateral revocation of all licenses, a ban from all services, damages, and legal action

Sanction details

Unilateral license revocation. OJT may revoke all licenses held by the violator, including those held by entities affiliated with or controlled by the violator. Revocation takes effect immediately once the decision is communicated, and does not require the violator’s consent or a court ruling.
No refunds. Revoking a license because of a Violation is a consequence of the Licensee’s own conduct, not a cancellation of the purchase by OJT. Payments already received are not refunded and are counted toward damages for the harm caused.
Loss of Product access. Downloads, updates, technical support, premium documentation, and license keys are deactivated.
Ban from services. The violator is banned from all OJT services, including buying new Products, hosting, installation, upgrades, security, migration, and customization. The ban may cover accounts, names, institutions, domains, email addresses, and any other identifying details linked to the violator.
Loss of benefits. Discounts, partner status, affiliate program membership, and unpaid commissions are cancelled.
Removal obligation. The violator must delete every copy of the Product and any Unauthorized Derivative Work from all media and distribution channels, and provide a written statement confirming the deletion.
Damages and legal action. These sanctions do not remove the obligation to pay damages under Section 10, or OJT’s right to take legal action under Section 11.

9. Action Against Third Parties

Against any Third Party who copies, rewrites, rebrands, sells, or distributes our Products without permission, OJT may take one or more of the following actions, in any order:

Formal warning letter. A written demand to stop the Violation, withdraw the product, and settle damages.
Takedown requests. Copyright and trademark infringement reports to hosting providers, domain registrars, marketplaces, code repositories, social media platforms, ad networks, and search engines, including under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and similar procedures in other jurisdictions.
Informing the OJS community. Sharing information about unofficial products in circulation with the community and relevant platform managers, based on verified evidence.
Permanent ban. Adding the violator and any affiliated parties to our blocklist, so they cannot buy Products or use OJT services in the future.
Claim for damages. Claiming compensation for all material and non-material losses, including any profits the violator made from the Violation.
Legal action. Civil and/or criminal proceedings under Section 11.

Users of unofficial copies

Journal managers who bought or received an unofficial copy from someone else do not hold a valid license. They are not entitled to updates or support, and they bear the security risks of that copy. We encourage anyone in this position to contact us.

10. Damages

By using a Product, the Licensee agrees that moderate and serious Violations cause OJT losses that are hard to calculate precisely. A Licensee found in violation must therefore pay OJT damages equal to the higher of:

[10 (ten)] times the current price of an Extended license at the time the Violation is discovered, for each unauthorized site, copy, sale, or distribution; or
the actual loss suffered by OJT, plus all profits the violator made from the Violation.

The violator must also reimburse:

the cost of investigating and gathering evidence;
the cost of warning letters and takedown requests;
reasonable legal fees if the matter proceeds to legal action.

Damages must be paid within 14 calendar days of the invoice being sent. Late payment entitles OJT to pursue collection through legal channels.

For Third Parties who are not bound by the OJT License Terms and Conditions, damages will be claimed through dispute resolution or a lawsuit under applicable law.

11. Legal Action

OJT Products are protected by the laws of the Republic of Indonesia and by international copyright treaties. OJT may pursue any of the following, separately or together:

Law No. 28 of 2014 on Copyright. Computer programs are protected works under Indonesian law. Copying and distributing them without permission for commercial purposes is a criminal offense. Under Article 113, piracy carries a penalty of up to 10 (ten) years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to IDR 4,000,000,000 (four billion rupiah).
Civil lawsuit. A claim for damages for copyright infringement and/or breach of the OJT License Terms and Conditions.
Law No. 20 of 2016 on Trademarks and Geographical Indications. For unauthorized use of the registered OJT name and logo.
Cross-border action. Indonesia is a member of the Berne Convention, so OJT’s copyright is also protected in other member countries. For violators outside Indonesia, OJT may use the legal remedies available in the country where the violator, their servers, or their distribution platforms are located.

OJT alone decides which remedies to pursue, when, and in which forum. An out-of-court settlement does not waive OJT’s right to take legal action if the settlement terms are not met.

12. Reporting a Violation

If you find an OJT Product being sold, shared, or shown under another brand without permission, please report it to support@openjournaltheme.com. To help us act quickly, include:

the link (URL) where the product is sold, shared, or used;
the product name and the name of the seller or distributor;
screenshots or other supporting evidence, including the date you found it;
your contact details, in case we need more information.

We keep the reporter’s identity confidential and will not disclose it to the reported party without consent. Valid reports may receive [a discount coupon or an extended support period] as a thank-you.

13. Other Terms

Relationship to other terms. This policy is an integral part of the OJT License Terms and Conditions and Refund Policy. If they conflict, this policy prevails on matters related to Violations.
Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable by a competent authority, the remaining provisions stay in full effect.
No waiver. A delay or failure by OJT to act on a Violation does not waive its right to act later.
Changes to this policy. OJT may update this policy at any time. The latest version takes effect once published on this page.
Governing law. This policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of Indonesia, without limiting OJT’s right to pursue remedies in other jurisdictions as set out in Section 11.
Contact. Questions about this policy can be sent to support@openjournaltheme.com.