Re: Draft W3C Excerpt License (Re: WG Decision - spec license use cases)

On Wed, 4 Mar 2009, Philippe Le Hegaret wrote:
> 
> In response to requests from developers to make it easier
> to include portions of W3C specifications in software documentation,
> bug reports, code, and test cases, W3C have drafted a new
> Excerpt & Citation License:
>    http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/2008/06-excerpt-license

Increasing license proliferation is a really bad idea here. I would be 
opposed to introducing yet another license. The legal situation is 
complicated enough as it is. We should just reuse one of the many, many 
existing licenses.


> It is my understanding that this current draft addresses the use cases 
> presented by the HTML Working Group at [1], with the exception of 
> continuing/forking the development of the WG deliverables in a non-W3C 
> venue whether or not W3C and/or the HTML WG cease operations (the last 
> two use cases in Henri's list). Uses like forking of a specification 
> would remain prohibited to protect the due process and the consensus 
> found in a chartered Working Group.

This use case is the main one that I'm concerned about, FWIW.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

Received on Thursday, 5 March 2009 02:50:35 UTC