Re: [Camm Maguire <camm@enhanced.com>] maxima
On Wed, May 03, 2000 at 09:38:09PM -0400, Camm Maguire wrote:
> It allows unrestricted export to most countries of the world, but does
> prohibit exports from the US to certain countries such as Cuba or
> Iraq.
>
> "Distribution of this derivative work is subject to the US Export
> Administration Regulations (Title 15 CFR 768-799), which implements
> the Export Administration Act of 1979, as amendeded, and/or the
> International Traffic in Arms Regulations, of 12-6-84, (Title 22 CFR
> 121-130), which implements the Arms Export Control Act (22 USC 2728)
> and may require license for export."
>
It's unfortunate when a law gets written into a software license or even
incorporated by reference because (among other reasons) laws are usually
limited in geopolitical scope and often modified or repealed. In this case,
if The Export Administration Act of 1979 is modified or repealed, it's
unclear if I must still be subject to its terms when distributing the
software. I recall that this list has reached consensus in the past that
this type of restriction is non-free. Furthermore, if a court rules that
programs like maxima are not covered by the laws mentioned, the restrictions
laid out in those laws still apply to maxima because of this notice.
Debian does allow packages with files or terms that can't be modified or
omitted - Just look at the COPYING file in any package released on the GNU
General Public License. If this message was in a similar non-code file and
modified to be a warning notice that read as follows, it would probably be
fine:
"Please be aware that distribution of this derivative work may be subject to
the US Export Administration Regulations (Title 15 CFR 768-799), which
implements the Export Administration Act of 1979, as amendeded, and/or the
International Traffic in Arms Regulations, of 12-6-84, (Title 22 CFR
121-130), which implements the Arms Export Control Act (22 USC 2728) and may
require license for export. Distributor assumes its own risk for
distribution in compliance with applicable laws and regulations."
--
Brian Ristuccia
brian@ristuccia.com
bristucc@cs.uml.edu
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