Home Messages Index
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Author IndexDate IndexThread Index

[News] President of the Open Source Initiative Comments on the Patents Debate

Open Source - it isn't just about being nice

,----[ Quote ]
| Licensing patent-encumbered software under terms that do not
| provide the effective freedom to practice those patents fully
| and freely according to the OSD makes the software not open source,
| qualms or no qualms. There are companies who have made either outright
| patent grants or promises not to assert patents against software
| licensed under reciprocal (and OSI-approved) licensing terms. These
| grants and promises /are/ effective for open source developers. We
| will always welcome more. But an exclusive licensing arrangement,
| meaning a licensing arrangement that excludes anybody in the open
| source community from enjoying the full benefits that open source
| has to offer, including the benefit to make better the software they
| receive without paying an innovation tax to the original provider, is
| not open source and is not helpful to the open source community. The
| open source model is not predicated on the expediency of doing
| business in ways that hurt the community. There are expedient, and
| pragmatic, and even scientifically sound aspects to what we do, but
| selling out our principles to a proprietary patron is not any part
| ofthat.
`----

http://www.theregister.com/2006/11/17/open_source_tiemann/

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Author IndexDate IndexThread Index