Can OSI specify that public domain is open source?

[Thorsten Glaser]

Rick Moen <rick <at> linuxmafia.com> writes:

> [1] Note that even VistA isn't necessarily public domain in other
> countries outside the USA. 

What’s it then? (Assuming it’s big enough to actually warrant
protection under copyright law, which this one seems to be.)

If some (non-government) US American were to take VistA, change some
amount of work in it, then publish the result… with his changes under
say the BSD licence… what’s it then, to us non-Americans?

This is amazing. In the end, could this mean that, for example,
Colin Plumb’s MD5 implementation, SQLite, and things like that
are lost as non-redistributable to e.g. Europeans?

Wow. Can of worms. Wow.

//mirabilos
-- 
I believe no one can invent an algorithm. One just happens to hit upon it
when God enlightens him. Or only God invents algorithms, we merely copy them.
If you don't believe in God, just consider God as Nature if you won't deny
existence.              -- Coywolf Qi Hunt