Re: FS/OSS license: not quite enough of a requirement

[Josh Boyer <jwboyer jdub homelinux org>]

On Wed, 2007-05-09 at 20:33 -0300, Alexandre Oliva wrote:
> 
> Omitting sources is just one of many ways people came up with to
> deprive users of freedom.
> 
> Another possibility is that of restrictive patent licenses, and the
> recent creative patent agreements we recently learned about, such as
> that between Microsoft and Novell.

Restrictive patent licenses such as what?  I know of no such license
that is usable for a package in Fedora.

And Fedora cannot do anything about the Microsoft/Novell deal.  They are
exercising a loophole in the GPL.  How is Fedora supposed to fight that?

> Yet another possibility would be trademark agreements that effectively
> limited Fedora users' freedoms.

Such as the one with the Mozilla for Firefox/Thunderbird?  That is an
issue to take to the Board.

> It would be far more comforting if Fedora committed itself to respect
> its users' freedoms in the general terms established by the FSD and
> the OSD, rather than to commit itself to not disrespect them in some
> particular ways.

We _do_ use the OSD/OSI definition.  It's the very first license
category on that page.  The ones that follow are actually more
restrictive.

josh