[OSM-legal-talk] License Cut-over and critical mass

[Rob Myers]

On 07/23/2010 02:02 PM, Anthony wrote:
>
> I'm not sure anyone credible has claimed that [ODbL] is a free license.  The
> purpose of a free license is to grant permissions, not to impose
> restrictions.

The purpose of a free licence is to protect people's freedom.

PD dedications and BSD licences (permissive licences) do this by 
allowing anyone who receives the work from its source to do whatever 
they like with it.

Copyleft and share-alike licences (reciprocal licences) do this by 
restricting people as much as is necessary to prevent them from imposing 
further restrictions.

The ODbL is a share-alike licence. If it went too far in using the laws 
its trying to protect against it might fail by becoming self-defeating. 
But I don't believe it does.

- Rob.