Re: Termination clauses, was: Choice of venue
Matthew Garrett wrote:
> At the point where the termination clause is used, the software is
> obviously non-free. I'd argue that this is directly analagous to the way
> we deal with patents. Almost all software we ship has the sword of
> patent suits hanging over its head, and could become non-free at any
> time as a result.
In the worst case, the patent suits could be fought on the grounds that the
patents are illegal and invalid. There are entire lobbying organizations
working to deal with this problem.
(If you pointed me to an evidently valid patent which is being infringed, I
would say "Get that program out!")
In contrast, if the copyright holder declares his right to terminate the
license based on a termination clause, there really is no arguing with it.
At all. It's not just a lawsuit, it's "give up and go home".
--
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
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