[License-review] OSI license approval is not the place for copyleft experimentation (was: License Committee report)

[Kyle Mitchell]

I don't think anyone is asking to approve SSPL _because_ it
is experimental.  They're asking for approval because of
what it does, which happens to be novel, i.e.
nonproliferating.

I don't think copyleft-next has declared itself the forum
for all copyleft debate, or initiated any process for
licenses other than copyleft-next itself.  It's clearly more
relevant, community-wise, whether OSI, FSF, Debian, or some
combination approve a license.  Moreover, copyleft-next's
design goals are clearly not the same as SSPL's, as you
demonstrated by citation to copyleft-next section 8.
Driving SSPL off from OSI would be to boot SSPL out of a
self-declared neutral forum and into a non-neutral, ad hoc
process aligned against it.

As for the OSI process, I've yet to see any evidence MongoDB
is slamming the license through, demanding expedited review,
fast-tracking, or exerting unfair political pressure.
There's no public indication of any expedited option.  If
it's happening privately, it's not visible here.  What's
visible here is that they proposed, summarized initial
comments and responded, and have now promised a revision.
Even so, I think we all expect that they support their own
submission privately, too.

Long use "in the wild" preceding submission as a license
fait accompli does not describe the approval process for
many copyleft licenses on the list, especially those from
business firms and foundations other than FSF, which do
their own license approvals, and compete with OSI
politically.  It's not what OSI's license review process
documentation describes, either.  The contrast with
OSL---proposed by OSI personnel, and approved in several
versions, each incorporating feedback from OSI and other
sources---is particularly instructive.  OSI license-review
_is_ a public review and drafting process.  It is publicly
documented as such.

-- 
Kyle Mitchell, attorney // Oakland // (510) 712 - 0933