Open Source Click-Wrap Notice

David Johnson david at usermode.org
Thu Aug 8 01:58:52 UTC 2002


On Wednesday 07 August 2002 09:17 am, Lawrence E. Rosen wrote:

> Now you've started me on another open source rant.  I've been trying to
> get key open source players to wake up to the threat of patents and to
> do analyses of open source software to see if any third party patented
> technology is contained in it.  The "consensus" seems to be to wait
> until the axe falls.  Well, folks, Lizzie Borden's on her way!  (With
> apologies to Lizzie, who was acquitted.)

Most of us Open Source developers don't have corporate backing. Most of us 
aren't independently wealthy. We can't afford to hire patent attorneys to 
review our software. And even if we did, there are extremely few patent 
attorneys who can understand our code sufficiently to ferret out any 
inadvertent patent infringements.

In other words, the realities of the situation preclude the analysis of Open 
Source Software for third party patented technology.

-- 
David Johnson
___________________
http://www.usermode.org
pgp public key on website
--
license-discuss archive is at http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?3



More information about the License-discuss mailing list