Re: [HACKERS] proposed improvements to PostgreSQL license

From: Chris Bitmead <chris(at)bitmead(dot)com>
To: Thomas Lockhart <lockhart(at)alumni(dot)caltech(dot)edu>
Cc: pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org, PostgreSQL Hackers <pgsql-hackers(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Re: [HACKERS] proposed improvements to PostgreSQL license
Date: 2000-07-04 03:05:37
Message-ID: 39615481.DC68C74A@bitmead.com
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> Good point. But the USA is the demon spawning ground for lawyers, and is
> at the leading edge of aggressive new legal territory.

Actually that is the exact reason you _don't_ want to be based in the
USA. Do you really want Postgres to be breaking new ground in the
courts? The USA is at the leading edge of lame new legislation. If the
postgresql licence is locked into Virginia law forever, (because any
licence change will be forever), you are subject to that law forever no
matter how stupid it may get.

For that reason I don't think you should be naming a jurisdiction. You
don't know what that jurisdiction may do in the future. Now any normal
corporation in this event could just change their licence to
jurisdiction B which has more favourable laws. Open source can't change
the licence ever unless you assign the rights to every bit of submitted
code like RMS insists on for GNU code.

If you must pick a jurisdiction pick Australia. We are *much* less
litigious. :-) Actually, pick Sealand. They have no laws and no courts.

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