[OSM-legal-talk] Lawyer responses to use cases, major problems

MJ Ray mjr at phonecoop.coop
Sun Mar 1 19:49:56 GMT 2009


Rob Myers <rob at robmyers.org> wrote:
> With the GPL, the right to request the source is attached to receiving
> and using the binary. Withe the AGPL it is attached to being a user of
> the service. You can't just wander by and say "hey! please can I have
> the source?", you have to be a user of the binary.
>
> (In practice people just pop the source on an FTP server, but that's
> less onerous than having to make minute-by-minute snapshots of OSM
> available.)

That touches on two of the Big Unexploded Lawyerbombs of the AGPL:-

1. are you still a user of the service if the service only says
"Access Denied" to you?

2. if you pop the source on an FTP server, does that mean the service
must stop if that FTP server is down?

I don't know if either of those are concerns for the OSM licence.

Regards,
-- 
MJ Ray (slef)
Webmaster for hire, statistician and online shop builder for a small
worker cooperative http://www.ttllp.co.uk/ http://mjr.towers.org.uk/
(Notice http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html) tel:+44-844-4437-237




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