Are there any laws that govern the use of code that lacks a license? [closed]

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I recently found some use of code in some program I was asked to complete. The code it was taken from didn't have a license. This made me think there should be some rules/laws that govern that kind of work. I didn't know what they co开发者_高级运维uld be, hence this question.

For my own personal toys I always at least make sure to leave a comment detailing where something came from. At minimum It seems like the decent thing to do.

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Many countries have an implicit copyright, so no, it is not in the public domain.

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It is absolutely not public domain in most countries; see the Berne convention for copyright.

Study it, throw it away and rewrite it from scratch if you want to be safe - or at least, safe r. This way you only have to worry about software patents.

IANAL, etc.

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How do you know that the code was taken? Is it in the comments? If so, you probably should get it in writing from the author. A lack of a license doesn’t mean you can use it, but depending on the country you (and the author) are in, it may be legal. Regardless of the country, the original author’s blessing will go a long way.