[antlr-interest] submission of patches, fixes, other contributions

[Loring Craymer]

If lawsuits could not be used as an element of corporate warfare, length
would not matter.  As it is, one goal of an Open Source license is to make
lawsuits untenable, whether by secondary (and primary) developers against
users or by users against developers or by third parties (as in the SCO/IBM
case).  With lawyers involved, clauses get added to eliminate sources of
lawsuits (and it doesn't matter if the sources would be spurious or not:
lawsuits can tie up day-to-day operations of a business) and the license
grows.

 

For some perspective on how Open Source lawsuits can be used in corporate
warfare, see

http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=160902263

http://news.com.com/2010-1071_3-1020184.html

and other articles relating to the SCO/IBM Linux lawsuit.  Also, take a look
at

http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397,1779913,00.asp

for an example of copyright abuse in other arenas.

 

Fortunately, Open Source software usually benefits all parties involved so
lawsuits are uncommon.  Unfortunately, that also means that Open Source
licenses have not adequately been tested in court.

 

--Loring

 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: antlr-interest-bounces at antlr.org [mailto:antlr-interest-

> bounces at antlr.org] On Behalf Of Scott Stanchfield

> Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 6:15 PM

> To: 'Lloyd Dupont'; 'John D. Mitchell'; 'ANTLR Interest'

> Subject: RE: [antlr-interest] submission of patches, fixes, other

> contributions

> 

> > Is it important to have long licence document to make it valid?

> 

> The name of the game is "Cover Thy Ass"

> 

> -- Scott

> 

 

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