Re: Question about license compatibility
On Sat, 2005-07-23 at 17:11 -0700, Sean Kellogg wrote:
> This is a difficult situation that is worth commentary. Assume for a moment
> that the U.S. has some strict export restriction. As a U.S. citizen I am
> bound by those laws and cannot legally violate them. Further, if I am to
> distribute software it is entirely possible that the law prohibits me from
> distributing that software to citizens of certain nations and to ensure those
> who receive copies do the same.
>
> This means I have have a responsibility to ensure others don't distribute and
> cause me to break the law. The only tool by which I have to do that is the
> license.
Is this really true?
"It is entirely possible" that the law forbids our project's current
work habits, especially when said work habits involve interaction with
the people responsible for enforcing this law. (And didn't those same
people cite us as a model for others to follow in regards to
compliance?) I suppose, though, that it would be good to find out for
sure.
When all this came down, it is my recollection that the regulations
treated freely available software differently from proprietary software,
with fewer regulations placed upon it. Could you perhaps have
overlooked this distinction?
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