__/ [ Mark Kent ] on Friday 26 January 2007 12:51 \__
> begin oe_protect.scr
> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>> MS on Copyleft and FOSS
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| [Pamela Jones: I found this paper doing some research just now, and I
>>| wanted to show you what Microsoft thinks about the GPL and other copyleft
>>| licenses and the open source development model, or at least what
>>| it says about it. Notice that it is inaccurate as to signing off
>>| on code, particularly with respect to the GNU project, which has
>>| always required that, and the Linux kernel, which has a specific
>>| process Microsoft seems not to know about. On the other hand, he
>>| does understand that the GPL doesn't eat your code, that the GPL
>>| is a conditional license, not a contract, so that's a step in the
>>| right direction:]
>>|
>>| Pedigree Issues: The second and more subtle OSS issue is related
>>| to the "pedigree" of OSS code. Even if the OSS code is not governed
>>| by Copyleft license terms, it was likely developed by a dispersed
>>| group of developers who ultimately give no representations as to
>>| ownership and non-infringement of the finished product. The Open
>>| Source "Community" development model involves potentially large
>>| numbers of developers who are subject to little if any legal
>>| oversight and who may be involved in a host of projects, each
>>| governed by a different and potentially conflicting license.
>>| More importantly, the typical Community contributor has a
>>| day job at a technology company and is likely to have signed
>>| a broad employment agreement with his employer vesting
>>| ownership of intellectual property (including possibly the
>>| contributions made to the OSS project) with the employer.
>>| Given what we know about the Community development process
>>| and given the lack of warranties on OSS code, we have
>>| significant reservations about distributing such code.
>>|
>>| -Jim Markwith, Esq., Microsoft, "OSS Issues in Acquisitions an
>>| Other Inbound Transactions"
>> `----
>>
>>
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/foi/images/3/3f/OSS_Issues_in_Acquisitions_and_Inbound_Transactions_01-05-07.pdf
>
> The FUD about employment contracts is superb. Of course, if you look at
> the likes of IBM, Sun and I'm sure anyone else you care to investigate,
> they have thought about this very hard, and have adjusted their
> employment contracts to take account of this.
>
> FUD remains effective, though, and is certainly Microsoft's best weapon.
> Along with the comfy chair...
I have seen something similar elsehwere. sys-con, IIRC. They try to portray
Open Source supporters as a great risk. It's still going along the lines of
"cancer", "communism", and "unamerican". Steretyping is powerful. It makes
bigots.
--
~~ Best wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Useless fact: A dragonfly only lives for one day
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
roy pts/4 Fri Jan 26 04:29 - 04:54 (00:24)
http://iuron.com - proposing a non-profit search engine
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