restricting the use of open source software

[Steve Quinn]

This brings up a question in my mind... I believe the government puts certain restrictions on the use and distribution of software and other US based products.  For example, I cannot sell my products to anyone in Iran or any one of a number of other countries.  Nor can I sell my product for use in a Nuclear facility or military missile installation.  I have been dealing with the sale and distribution of a commercial software product for more than 10 years.  I have worked with a company in India who has asked us to get involved in possible deals in a number of Middle East countries.  As we have investigated doing so, we found that the government is very particular about who we can and cannot sell to.  Has the open source community taken these governmental restrictions into consideration?  And if so, where is that identified or defined.  And if not, shouldn't we make sure that we are not put in jeopardy by allowing someone to download and use software that otherwise would be restricted by law?

Steve
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Arromdee [mailto:arromdee at rahul.net] 
Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2005 9:54 AM
To: license-discuss at opensource.org
Subject: Re: restricting the use of open source software

On Sun, 27 Mar 2005, Benjamin Rossen wrote:
> > Would it be possible to forbid the use in, say, systems deliberately 
> > designed to cause loss of life, injury, or environmental damage, and 
> > still be compliant with OSD #5 and #6?
> No.

Besides, what happens if someone uses the software in a general purpose computer, and later that computer is used in a weapons system?  The computer isn't designed as a weapon, but the weapons system is.

And you'd better write your language to allow your software's use in situations involving abortion, unless you really want to exclude those.


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