Cameron, I think this is an excellent idea, and a lawyer should definitely be consulted. I wonder if the legal staff at the Software Freedom Conservancy could assist.
Landon -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Cameron Shorter Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 3:56 AM To: OSGeo-Board Cc: OSGeo Discussions; Adrian Custer Subject: [OSGeo-Discuss] Board Proposal: Statement of OSGeo Legal Support OSGeo Board, (CC to OSGeo Discuss), During the founding of OSGeo, it was often noted that OSGeo projects would benefit from OSGeo legal protection. Now, as Geotools wrestles with graduation criteria and how to handle license assignment, the nature and level of legal protection offered by OSGeo is unclear. Also unclear is the level of legal review available (as tested by Geotools crafting of a Copywrite Assignment document). Consequently, geotools is having difficulty deciding whether it is wise to assign copywrite to OSGeo. I suspect a large part of the problem is that board members (like myself) are not lawyers and don't have a clear understanding of the options, the value of each of the options to OSGeo and the projects (how much protection is given), and the cost both in time and financially. Key questions to answer for each option are: * What level of support is given to contributors and license reviewers (individuals and companies) * What level of support is given to OSGeo users? * What level of support is given to projects? Will OSGeo fight a license infringer on behalf of a project? * What level of support is given to the OSGeo Foundation? *Proposal* That the board makes a clear statement on their website about nature and level of support offered by OSGeo to OSGeo projects and Individuals. This statement needs to be backed up with a budget item addressing financial implications related to the statement. Implementation: I suggest the steps to achieve the above would be: 1. Board approves budget to have a lawyer, or volunteer with legal review, to draw up a list of options and their financial implications. Adrian Custer's review provides an excellent basis for a lawyer to start from. http://docs.codehaus.org/display/GEOTOOLS/Geotools+Legal+Review 2. Board votes to select best option. 3. OSGeo financial sponsors are given opportunity to contribute to decision. 4. OSGeo budgets for decision 5. OSGeo records the legal stance publicly (on a webpage). -- Cameron Shorter Geospatial Systems Architect Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050 Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254 Think Globally, Fix Locally Commercial Support for Geospatial Open Source Software http://www.lisasoft.com/LISAsoft/SupportedProducts.html _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss Warning: Information provided via electronic media is not guaranteed against defects including translation and transmission errors. If the reader is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender immediately. _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss