[Sussex] Big Legal News Regarding FLOSS Licences

[Geoffrey Teale]

On 14 Aug 2008, at 14:50, Steve Dobson wrote:

> Hi all
>
> Just saw this on Groklaw and it is *big*.
>
>  http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=2008081313212422



Interesting . in the US at least this gives the F/L/OSS licenses  
parity with proprietary licenses (As I understand it).    The sensible  
question you should all be asking is, "why wouldn't they have parity  
in the first place?"  ... and the answer is complex but involves the  
following:

   - the difference between statute and precedent (and the lack of  
either to cover F/L/OSS licenses)
   - that some legal entities (i.e. companies and individuals) found  
it convenient to assume/claim that their was a disparity
   - that some other legal entities like to spread Fear, Uncertainty  
and Doubt about all things F/L/OSS.

-- 
Geoffrey Teale
Software and Technology Consultant, München
tealeg at member.fsf.org