<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
On 02/26/2012 09:00 PM, Chad Perrin wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:20120227050018.GB736@hemlock.hydra"
type="cite">
I suspect a better approach to understandable, legally well-formed
license production might be to get someone who wants a very simple
license to write it, and only *then* get the lawyers involved.
While
you're at it, be prepared to make the lawyers explain everything
they
want to change, and to tell them "no" a lot.
</blockquote>
The problem with your software, Chad, is that it's much too
complicated for <i>no reason.</i> There's no reason for half of
that "crapton" to be in there. We could cut it down to 10% of its
present complexity if we had a <i>user </i>who wanted a really
simple program write it first, and then we could have a programmer
make it work correctly. While the programmer did that, we would make
him explain <i>everything </i>that he was doing, and we would tell
him "no" a lot to curb his natural tendency to add unnecessary
complexity.<br>
<br>
:-)<br>
<br>
The pieces you don't like aren't there because anyone likes to put
them there or because the people who wrote the license are idiots.<br>
<br>
There have been a lot of court cases in history. From those cases,
we know a number of things that go wrong in courts. We want you not
to get trapped by the same stuff.<br>
<br>
I had to help Bob Jacobsen, an Open Source developer who chose one
of those over-simple licenses, the Artistic License 1.0, written by
Larry Wall the Programmer. Bob had someone who both used his program
in a product without even attributing it to him, and <i>also </i>asked
Bob for lots of money for infringing his patent and tried to get Bob
fired from his job by filing an FOIA with his employer. This was all
over <i>model train software.</i><br>
<br>
When Bob turned to Larry's Artistic License to help him get the guy
off of his back, the Artistic License failed in court. We put a good
team together and turned that around on appeal, but it was a close
thing. By the time we were done, Bob had spent 5 years on the case,
was out a good deal of money, and his relationship with his employer
was damaged.<br>
<br>
We might not be able to help the next Bob who comes along and uses
one of those licenses written in crayon. You can protect your
friends by not encouraging them to do that.<br>
<br>
Thanks<br>
<br>
Bruce<br>
<br>
</body>
</html>