From: Jim Choate <ravage@einstein.ssz.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1998 08:18:52 +0800
To: cypherpunks@einstein.ssz.com (Cypherpunks Distributed Remailer)
Subject: Re: German government press release on Wassenaar (fwd)
Message-ID: <199812112328.RAA31629@einstein.ssz.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text



Forwarded message:

> Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 22:50:04 +0100
> From: Alexander Kjeldaas <astor@guardian.no>
> Subject: Re: German government press release on Wassenaar

> I applied for an examination of the Open Source definition to the
> department for foreign affairs in Norway.  The response (no surprise)
> was that Open Source is compliant with what the Wassenaar-agreement
> calls "public domain" software.

Actualy that is surprising since Open Sourse does not imply the loss of
rights by the author as public domain does.

If this is so and Germany interprets Open Source in this way then the OS
movement will fail in Germany (at least). There will be no motive for
authors to release their work since they will be in effect releasing all
rights to it, not the goal of OS at all. The impact on this for closed source
derivitive products is also of some interest.

I wonder what RMS will have to say on that one...


    ____________________________________________________________________

          What raises the standard of living may well diminish the
          quality of life.

                                                 The Club of Rome

       The Armadillo Group       ,::////;::-.          James Choate
       Austin, Tx               /:'///// ``::>/|/      ravage@ssz.com
       www.ssz.com            .',  ||||    `/( e\      512-451-7087
                           -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'-
    --------------------------------------------------------------------