[License-review] License Ragnarök

[VM Brasseur (OSI)]

Please move this conversation to license-discuss.

(a reply should do it, since I set the reply-to accordingly)

Thank you,

--V

> On 24 Oct 2018, at 18:59, Lawrence Rosen <lrosen at rosenlaw.com> wrote:
> 
> Larry Rosen asked:
> > > And you should define "license Ragnarök."
>  
> Josh Berkus answered:
> > A state of universal F.U.D. in which nobody can produce or use any open source software because nobody can figure out how to do so without conflicting with someone's license.
>  
> You are misrepresenting open source licenses. ALL open source software can be used. It can also be copied. Derivative works can be created. Those works can be distributed to the public. Its source code is available. This is true for EVERY OPEN SOURCE LICENSE! You are quoting a universal F.U.D. that open source licenses are in conflict. NOT FOR THOSE PURPOSES!
>  
> Yes, open source licenses are often incompatible for the creation of merged derivative works. But it is a gross misrepresentation to claim that "nobody can figure out how to do so." It is done around the world by developers, with care. True, there are some companies that are afraid of specific wording of certain open source licenses that may create risks to their "corresponding source" or to their "proprietary derivative works." Google/Alphabet is an example of a large company that avoids network-copyleft licenses like the plague, giving up those FOSS free copyrights listed above rather than risk the other license terms and conditions. Even then, dual licensing often allows work-arounds for those companies and profits for developers.  
>  
> Please stop crying about imaginary F.U.D. There are legitimate legal reasons to read the terms of open source licenses carefully, but you exaggerate their incompatibilities and conflicts.
>  
> /Larry
>  
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