[License-discuss] OSI is not a trade association

[Bruce Perens]

Van,

The by-laws give OSI a great deal of latitude to determine what it wishes
to do, and how. I can think of very many ways in which it might help
attorneys craft Open Source licenses, for example by running a training
program. It is certainly not required to select any particular method.

    Thanks

    Bruce

On Wed, Jul 3, 2019 at 10:44 AM VanL <van.lindberg at gmail.com> wrote:

> Respectfully, I disagree. The purposes of the OSI, per the bylaws, are:
>
> Section 2. *SPECIFIC PURPOSES.* Within the context of the general
> purposes stated above, this corporation shall: (1) educate the public about
> the advantages of open source software; (2) encourage the software
> community to participate in open source software development; (3) identify
> how software users’ objectives are best served through open source
> software; (4) persuade organizations and software authors to distribute
> source software freely they otherwise would not distribute; (5) provide
> resources for sharing information about open source software and licenses; *(6)
> assist attorneys to craft open source licenses; *(7) manage a program to
> allow use of one or more marks in association with open source software
> licenses; and (8) advocate for open source principles.
>
> Doesn't this specific purpose of the organization suggest "it would be
> important for the organization to have detailed processes by which
> determinations are made, and it could make sense for the organization to
> actively create guidance that makes clear how the latest factors of current
> interest in the industry affect how products will fit with respect to the
> lines around the definition"?
>
> Are not those the exact things that would "assist attorneys to craft open
> source licenses"?
>
> Thanks,
> Van
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-- 
Bruce Perens - Partner, OSS.Capital.
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