[One (M7) Android Development] trjlive:
I don't want to get involved in the finger-pointing of whose ROM came first and what have you, but I wanted to share some of my professional insight into why the early release of Sense 6 is such a big deal, and why the devs have been trying to hold it back. I see a lot of people posting that they don't understand why not to release it, if they have the leak. So this is the answer to the "why" question.

I work as a special contractor in the Corporate/Competitive Intelligence (CCI) sector in Los Angeles. I have not worked directly with HTC, but through my work with Google and formerly Motorola, I have insight into the general processes that come with a high-profile software release. I am under NDA with my current contracts, so I can't reveal specifics of what I do, but I will say that I have investigated scenarios of leaked product which have resulted in the termination of the employee who leaked said product.

Unreleased product, whether it be intellectual property (software) or prototype device (hardware), is still covered under copyright law (which varies depending on jurisdiction, but for this post, I'm not going to differentiate the jurisdictional specifics). Even in a large firm the size of HTC, there are a relatively limited number of people who have access to a fully compiled or assembled pre-release product. So when a high-profile device or software is leaked before the launch date, it is usually pretty easy to narrow down the leak source to a team or even an individual. As any employee working with unreleased product would be under NDA, leaking unreleased product can result in termination or sanctions of the team or employee(s) involved.

When copyrighted material is leaked without authorization, the company can consider the leaked product to be stolen. Stolen hardware is much easier to recover, if found, warrants are issued and law enforcement will recover the hardware. Stolen software is a trickier product to track down, but not impossible. The DMCA laws (and other region-specific local copyright laws) provide penalties for those illegally distributing stolen copyrighted material, which includes the leaked software. With most of the instances I've worked on, a DMCA takedown is issued to the web provider to remove the stolen product from their servers, and if they comply, that is the end of it on the external side. But I assure you, there are internal ramifications for those employees who are found to have been a part of the leak.

So to wrap this up, when the developers are withholding a new release until the official product is released, they are protecting themselves and their source. Think of it this way: if you're a developer, you've spent time and effort to develop and cultivate a relationship with a source, so you can get early access to upcoming software. That's all well and good, so why would you risk burning that source by releasing the software early? You could get that employee fired or sanctioned, but I bet you that employee will never give you early access to code again. So to maintain that relationship, you have to protect your source.

So my question to everyone who is pushing the devs to release before the official time, why would you rather have them burn their source and possibly get that person fired just so you can get a free ROM a few days early? Surely you'd rather have a solid, stable ROM on the day of release, knowing that your favorite developer will continue to have early access through his trusted source? Or maybe people are so self-absorbed that they don't care what happens to other people, as long as they get what they want right now. Just think about it, there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than you release. There's a reason why the developers are holding back, and it's not to piss you off.

Edit: I'm not directing any comments at any particular person, developer or user. I'm only trying to explain and support those devs who have chosen to hold back until the official release, and help others understand some of the reasoning behind those decisions.