Brian Thomas Sniffen wrote:
Dalibor Topic <robilad@kaffe.org> writes:Brian Thomas Sniffen wrote:Raul Miller <moth@debian.org> writes:It's illegal in the context of copyrights to make copies for use in nuclear power plants (which conflicts with the fields of endeavor part of the DFSG).No, it isn't. It doesn't say you can't do so -- just that you've acknowledged that the software isn't licensed-by-the-DOE for that or designed for that.Who is DOE and why is he licensing Sun's software? The BSD+ license doesn't mention a DOE, afaik.The Department of Energy licenses nuclear power facilities in the USA, and licenses equipment and software for use there. That license is what this is talking about.
Thanks a lot for clearing that up, Brian. I think if the license explicitely said something about the USA Department of Energy provisions on software licensing in nuclear facilities, it would be much easier to figure out, though it still may be unnecessary to reinforce common local laws. I usually don't get to re-write local laws, just because I license software, right?
The intent is now clearer, but as it stands, the actual text used is too ambiguous, as can be seen by the regular discussions surrounding the use of BSD+ in Sun-owned code contributed to open-source projects. I guess part of that is due to an international audience, which is not familiar with local USA laws, and part of it due to a non-nuclear audience, which is not familiar with provisions for running nuclear facilities in general, and in the USA in particular.
So for the benefit of us mere developrs outside the nuclear and legal professions in the USA, I'd kindly suggest that Sun rewrites the non-nuclear part of the BSD+ license into something more precise.
As for DFSG freenes, I have trouble figuring out if it would prohibit me from running javacc in a secret nuclear reactor in North Korea outside the reach of DOE and DOJ.[1]. IANAL, just an interested developer ;)
cheers, dalibor topic[1] I have no idea whether the North Korea follows DOE provisions on licensing software in their secret nuclear facilities. Hypothetical question, no threat to USA Department of National Security implied. Or whatever the Department for that is called. ;)