At 08:45 AM 6/14/2006 -0600, you wrote:
L. V. Lammert wrote:
BS aside, it's obvious you don't deal in US markets! While the
implementation may be flawed, dealing with export regulations, silly as
that may seem to non US organizations, CAN be business threatening. Not to
be taken lightly.
This issue has nothing to do with export regulations, this is either a
smoke screen or over-reaction on the part of Hifn. No one is asking Hifn
to export hardware to Iran. No one is asking Hifn to export hardware at
all. No one is asking for driver source code. As someone pointed out
earlier in this thread, documentation may be sent out of the USA thanks to
free speech laws.
Huh? What world are you living in? Export regulations for US companies are
EXTREMELY onerous, and if a company wants to do business internationally,
they have a ton of lawyers on staff playing games with things like this.
The fact that a company restricts documentation to US download to satisfy
export concerns is quite valid. If the TERMS of the license ON the
documentation are 'unrestricted use', that's where we need to direct our
attention.
If entire algorithms can be printed in book form and exported, then
certainly documentation on how to utilize a piece of hardware may leave
the country without restriction. The documentation without the hardware is
good for nothing. It's like having the operating documentation for a
private jet - without the plane you aren't leaving the ground!
It's obvious you have never tried to export anything from the US with more
horsepower than a 386! ANY current technology on the 'watch list' cannot
LEAVE the country with about a weeks worth of work with the State
Deparement, Customs, et al.
If a companies' lawyers tell them to restrict documentation download to
valid organizations, that is well within their purvuew as technology
exporters. It's far more productive to be concerned with the terms OF the
license.
Lee