[License-review] Submitting CC0 for OSI approval

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Russ Nelson (nelson at crynwr.com):

> Why? Our imprinteur means NOTHING as regards patent rights. ABSOLUTELY
> ZIPPO. Because the people who gave you the software are the least
> likely to sue you for using it. Regardless of estoppel, there is
> reliance (if you encourage somebody to infringe your own intellectual
> property, a judge is going to look very very askance as you bring suit
> against them. As in: you have close to zero chance of winning such a
> suit.)
> 
> The real risk of patented software comes from a patent troll. Such
> people are non-practicing, and have nothing to fear from your
> defensive patents. You have no patent waiver from them, because they
> didn't write the software you're using.

All damned good points.  Even if OSI had within its bailiwick the job of
helping recipients of software under OSI-approved licences ensure that
they have necessary patent rights, the licensors are almost never the
problem, and the relevant patent rights can't be coaxed out of them in
the first place.

-- 
Rick Moen             "The plural of Blackberry is 'Blackberries.'  The plural 
rick at linuxmafia.com   of Blackberry users is 'Dingleberries.'"
McQ!  (4x80)                                               -- FakeAPStylebook