Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
On Sat, Nov 15, 2003 at 12:58:39AM +0000, Henning Makholm wrote:
> > In the current patent-litigation context, a large stable of patents to
> > cross-license is considered a vitally important corporate defense
> > strategy.
>
> Yes, but a patent could not be part of such a portfolio if if were
> licensed freely to the general public.
... unless it's licensed with a condition that if you sue them, the
patent grant is withdrawn. That seems to be the purpose of the
reciprocity clause.
It seems the intent is to require a patent license (under 4b), while
still allowing those patents to be used defensively (against other
patents).
At least on its face, it seems like a useful compromise: companies
often legitimately won't want to give out unrecovable patent licenses,
since they need them to defend against other, hostile patent holders.
Still undecided. I can sympathise both with attempts to find defenses
against patents (of which free software has scarce few), and to do so in
a way that doesn't force others to weaken their own patent defenses.
--
Glenn Maynard
Reply to:
- References:
- [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: Martin Michlmayr - Debian Project Leader <leader@debian.org>
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: "Brian M. Carlson" <sandals@crustytoothpaste.ath.cx>
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: Don Armstrong <don@donarmstrong.com>
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: Adam Warner <lists@consulting.net.nz>
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: Andrew Suffield <asuffield@debian.org>
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net>
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: Andrew Suffield <asuffield@debian.org>
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net>
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: bts@alum.mit.edu (Brian T. Sniffen)
- Re: [fielding@apache.org: Review of proposed Apache License, version 2.0]
- From: Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net>