FW: [Ossi] DISA to open source administrative software

David Woolley forums at david-woolley.me.uk
Tue Mar 17 22:55:11 UTC 2009


wtfpl user wrote:

> 
> Note, too, that any enhancements to Free/Open Source Software (FOSS)
> by DISA employees (but not DISA contractors) would be in the public
> domain because of 17 USC 105.  So it can be used by anybody without
> regard to the OSL/AFL (any version) because it is in the public
> domain.

Whilst the enhancements may be in the public domain, they are of little 
use without the code they enhance, which would still be under the 
original copyrights.

(Also, technically I believe that even the public domain material is 
only public domain in the USA.)

This was heavily cross-posted; cross-posting really doesn't work for 
mailing lists.  Cut down to just the list that I know I'm allowed to 
post on.  One can, however, make some inferences about intent from the 
cross-posting.

-- 
David Woolley
Emails are not formal business letters, whatever businesses may want.
RFC1855 says there should be an address here, but, in a world of spam,
that is no longer good advice, as archive address hiding may not work.



More information about the License-discuss mailing list