Re: non-free license check: skype
On Wed, 14 Jul 2004, Øystein Gisnås wrote:
> The Skype Software and the Services are not intended for use by or
> availability to persons under the age limit of any jurisdiction
> which restricts the use of Internet-based applications and services
> according to age. IF YOU RESIDE IN SUCH A JURISDICTION AND ARE
> UNDER THAT JURISDICTION'S AGE LIMIT FOR USING INTERNET-BASED
> APPLICATIONS OR SERVICES, YOU MAY NOT DOWNLOAD, INSTALL OR USE THE
> SKYPE SOFTWARE AND YOU MAY NOT ACCESS THE SERVICES.
These sure seems like we can't have any mirror opererators under the
age of majority, although some idiot wrote this clause completely
incorrectly. "Under the age limit of any jurisdiction"? Which age
limit? [The social security age limit?][1]
> (b) You are allowed to redistribute the Software, under the conditions
> that you (i) do not modify the Software;
Does this even allow us to package the software?
> (a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, you may not: (ii)
> cause, permit or authorize the modification, creation of derivative
> works, translation, reverse engineering, decompiling or
> disassembling or hacking of the Skype Software, the Services or the
> Network;
Wait, so we have to restrict the ability of gdb to be run on this
software?
> (vii) collect any information or communication about the Network or
> users of the Skype Software or Services by monitoring, interdicting
> or intercepting any process of the Skype Software or the Network;
And look, we can't even monitor the status of the mirrors!
> (b) The Skype Software and Services contain proprietary,
> confidential and trade secret information owned or licensed by
> Skype, and you agree to take reasonable steps at all times to
> protect and maintain the confidentiality of such information.
Eh? so we can't distribute it at all? [Surely that's a reasonable step
to control the confidential and trade secret information owned or
licensed by Skype.]
Ok, that's enough... this license just gets worse from this point on.
I'd strongly suggest that we aren't able to distribute software under
this license even in non-free.
Don Armstrong
1: Yes, they seem to want to not violate "people under the age of X
may not access the internet" laws... but they state it in one of the
more rediculous manners I've seen.
--
"...Yet terrible as UNIX addiction is, there are worse fates. If UNIX
is the heroin of operating systems, then VMS is barbiturate addiction, the
Mac is MDMA, and MS-DOS is sniffing glue. (Windows is filling your sinuses
with lucite and letting it set.) You owe the Oracle a twelve-step program."
--The Usenet Oracle
http://www.donarmstrong.com
http://rzlab.ucr.edu
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