Apparently some folks at Saarland University in Germany have come up with an automated method to detect code theft, and they call it birthmarking. The method as demonstrated uses Java, but the poster at Slashdot claims that the method “could be used to detect GPL violations in particular.” For those interested in the paper from which that conclusion is made here is the link. Perhaps of most interest to this readership, the paper explicitly links the method to evidence questions in disputes such as the IBM and SCO code fight.
Hat Tip: Slashdot.