[OSM-legal-talk] Noise vs unanswered questions

[Rob Myers]

On 09/04/2010 11:06 AM, Simon Ward wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 03, 2010 at 10:54:50AM +0100, Rob Myers wrote:
>>> The contributor terms are now the sticking point for many people against
>>> the ODbL+DbCL+CT combination, and these are not just people against a
>>> licence change from CC by-sa, but people who are in principle happy with
>>> the licence change.
>>
>> This is a change that cannot be sugar-coated. It is needed in order
>> to ensure that if future changes become necessary they can be made.
>>
>> I'm sorry to be harsh but I think that concentrating on the risks of
>> the new CTs rather than the risks they are meant to address shows a
>> failure of perspective.
>
> I don’t think that’s harsh; I think it’s wrong. ;)

I'm sorry, I was a bit of a dick in that email. I apologize.

> I’m also not intending that the CTs become something that allows OSM to
> be gradually rendered ineffective.  From my side of this fake wall you
> have put up, I am indeed intending that they allow OSM to be effective,
> and continue to allow OSM to be effective, without over extending grants
> to a third party.  If I could make it happen without even having to have
> a third party involved, I would.  Unfortunately, I think it is also
> beyond possibility.

Over-extensive grants create the possibility of mis-use, yes, that is a 
valid concern. I think it needs addressing outside of the CTs, though, 
at the level of the organization's structure and rules. I'm not just 
saying that to move the grounds of the debate, I think that it is the 
best way of addressing the family of concerns about what happens if OSMF 
were to have (or try to cause) problems.

>> And if people are worried that future changes will not be to their
>> liking they need to get involved in the process more actively.
>
> I’m worried that proposed changes in the very near future aren’t to my
> liking.  Am I not actively involved now?

You are. I apologize, that wasn't really aimed at you and I shouldn't 
have put it in a response to something you wrote.

- Rob.