[License-review] OSD #9 would not make SSPL OSD-incompliant

[Lawrence Rosen]

Josh Berkus wrote:
> This is the reason why the FSF has been careful to define GPL licenses as
not applying on mere use, since that's a minefield and will definitely lead
to license ragnarok.

The term "mere use" is nowhere defined. In our conversations, we frequently
confuse the legal constructs of "agency" and "subcontracting" and "scope of
control." Does the U.S. government get one license for "mere use" or do the
Army and Navy independently require GPL "mere use" exceptions? Is there a
difference between a conglomerate like Alphabet and a startup in a Silicon
Valley garage that is subsequently acquired? 

Ragnarök is an important event in Norse mythology and has been the subject
of scholarly discourse and theory throughout the history of Germanic
studies. Its relevance to open source is unclear. :-)

/Larry