CSS Copying - is it OK with Google? is it legal?

[moshebar]

hey,
it is known that to take someone else's content is moraly and googely wrong, but what's the case with css styling ?

i've found a very nice website that deals with the subject X and i want the same styling, more or less, in my website which deals with the subject Y (which is totally different than X, and have nothing to do in common and in competeition) .

Is it legal to just take the css file ? (can he sue me?)

Is it ok with google - will he not penalize me for it ? again- the content itself is totally different in any way possible .

[johnnie]

Considering the limited amount of permutations possible in a CSS document, I guess one could never prove that somebody stole his or her stylesheet. Many, many people are using the same CSS 'tricks' to obtain a multi-column layout for example. A CSS document is merely a regurgitation of prescribed standards and methods, so I don't think it's possible to sue somebody over using "margin:0;" on a highly specific place.

(IANAL)

[moshebar]

yeah, johnnie, but if you, for example, were finding out that i used your styling in my site - would you do nothing but standing still ?

[londrum]

he would probably have a good case if you nicked all his background images, gradients and icons and stuff like that.

but why don't you just ask him if you can copy it. then you can sleep easy.