It doesn’t matter because they have a license to use the work, which is all they have been doing. They aren’t running around saying it’s their property because no one has asked them that.
Now even though they are put on the spotlight, they don’t really need to do anything.
> It doesn’t matter because they have a license to use the work
If they don’t have a contract, they don’t have a license. Again, in some common law jurisdiction they do things like implicit contracts and informal agreements. This is not going to fly in most European countries. No contract = no agreement = no license.
> Now even though they are put on the spotlight, they don’t really need to do anything.
Well yeah. The best move in their situation is not to move. Particularly once the text is published with an open license.
Now even though they are put on the spotlight, they don’t really need to do anything.