[License-discuss] Evaluating the Enforceability of a License Should Not be a Criteria for OSI License Review

David Woolley forums at david-woolley.me.uk
Thu Oct 26 12:05:37 UTC 2023


On 26/10/2023 11:16, Kevin P. Fleming wrote:
> In my experience, the enforceability of a license is derived from the ability to ensure that downstream distributors comply with the license's obligations, and not from the ability of the licensor to grant permission to make use of the licensed software.
> 
> So it is completely possible for a license to grant all permissions required by the OSD, but for its list of distribution obligations to be unenforceable for various reasons. Such a license could be approved by the OSI as an 'open source license', and yet be one that everyone is discouraged from using.

+1



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