Re: IBM Public License (again)

[Raul Miller <moth@debian.org>]

> > What does this have to do with free software?

On Fri, May 14, 2004 at 12:11:14AM +0100, MJ Ray wrote:
> Free software licences should not contaminate other software, remember?

I agree -- and maybe I'm stupid, but I don't see a contamination
mechanism here.

All I see is statements saying disclaiming software patents and software
patent litigation.  I see no statements saying that software patents
have any validity.

The closest is a statement dumping responsibility for any patents on the
person adding the patented stuff to the software -- and that requires
that the person doing so grant a license to use that patent.

Now, granted, if there is some specific patent associated with this
software that makes it non-free, that would be a problem.  But that
seems to be outside the scope of the license itself.

If someone adds some such patented component to some BSD licensed
software, we'd have the same problem -- if not a worse one.  [Our users
would be at more risk in the case of a BSD licensed work.]

Can you point me at a contaminating mechanism which isn't also present
in a BSD license?

Thanks,

-- 
Raul