[License-discuss] [Non-DoD Source] Re: U.S. Army Research Laboratory Open Source License (ARL OSL) 0.4.0

[Engel Nyst]

On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 5:12 PM, Karan, Cem F CIV USARMY RDECOM ARL
(US) <cem.f.karan.civ at mail.mil> wrote:
> OK, but wouldn't those changes mean that the license no longer applies to the
> uncopyrightable portions?  That would mean that downstream users would no
> longer have any protection from being sued, etc., right?

The obligations (a)-(d) would not apply to the uncopyrightable
portions. That's not the whole license/contract, only those particular
obligations that try to put "restrictions" on the rights to reproduce,
prepare derivative works, and distribute them.

For example, (a) says "[you can reproduce this work], provided that
... you give other recipients a copy of this license". In other words,
"you can't reproduce this work if you don't add a copy of this
license". This obligation doesn't apply to a public domain work, I can
reproduce it without.

But I'm not sure what you're worried about, sue for what? These
(a)-(d) obligations have nothing to do with suing users, do they? ARL
OSL has all the other clauses, which apply fine regardless of whether
the underlying Work is copyrighted or not, like disclaimers of
liability and clause 5.


-- 
~ "We like to think of our forums as a Free-Speech Zone. And freedom
works best at the point of a bayonet." (Amazon, Inc.)