Steve Langasek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: [...] > On Wed, Aug 30, 2006 at 08:26:56PM -0400, Nathanael Nerode wrote: > > Should the ftpmasters, who have even less legal expertise, > > Judging by some of the nonsense that debian-legal is typically riddled with,
It's generally quite easy to spot the nonsense. Look for telltale signs like: 1. over-use of authoritative statements and guesswork (such as 'many people X' or 'most people X' instead of 'some people X') to support a weak argument; 2. refusing to explain reasoning which leads to a conclusion; 3. failure to give references to past discussions unless pressed. (Observant readers will have spotted parts of 1, 2 and 3 in support of several of the proposed GRs.) It's a shame that we have to play 'spot the nonsense' but that's how the weakly-moderated debian lists seem to work when the cost of gathering data about the possible solutions is so high. > if I were an ftpmaster I would find that claim insulting. Could it be insulting but accurate? Brains out on the table, please! How many ftpmasters: a) have previously been involved in copyright cases; b) have previously been involved in trademark or patent cases; c) are currently studying for a legal qualification; or d) are currently employed as legal experts? > The only claim to expertise that debian-legal has is in the area of > analyzing license terms and how they stack up against the requirements of > the DFSG. That is an important function, but it is *not* legal expertise. There have been debian-legal contributors in each of the above categories, (examples OTTOMH: a. me c. http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2006/06/msg00197.html d. http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2006/08/msg00133.html ) although some don't stick around long because of the 'spot the nonsense' contests. The qualified experts are mostly quiet in the DFSG-comparison threads, as that's mostly not a legal expertise subject and tends to draw quite offensive personal abuse from some contributors. Some other stuff, like permission to distribute, is more obviously linked to law. Hope that explains, -- MJR/slef My Opinion Only: see http://people.debian.org/~mjr/ Please follow http://www.uk.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
