On Sat, Sep 01, 2007 at 06:02:26PM -0600, Bob Beck wrote: > I couldn't agree more. The point is, while we BSD license fans know and > expect people from private industry to take our stuff and use it, at > least private industry does not come to the table with "hey, let's > cooperate" - we know who the corporate whores are, and we act accordingly. > > However, when a linux developer comes to us and say "hey lets cooperate" > usually there is a thought of "this is a kindred spirit who understands > what our mutual goals are and won't stab us in the back". My concern > is that this situation will change if this is not rectified. > > I think the community needs to decide, should cooperation be based on > morals and trust, or does the Linux community need to be regarded with > less trust than a Corporation, something to be avoided, as while > corporations can be counted on to act without morals, the knife is up > front and visible. They do not come to you with one hand of > cooperation extended and a knife kept behind their back.
Here in Ontario, Canada, before a divorce goes to court, both parties spend a day with a Family Court Judge and talk about the case and the issues in a non-court setting. The purpose is to let the parties know how a judge would likely decide the case to encourage the parties to come to an agreement without dragging it through court. If they don't, then they go to court in front of a different judge. I think of it as non-binding arbitration by someone who knows the law. Perhaps if the OBSD and GPL legal types can't agree on what copyright law says, they could at least agree on who they would both trust to judge it without the expense and bad press of an actual legal challenge. Much of the work and infrastructure at both camps happens in a University setting. Perhaps there's a university with a strong interest in Computer Science that also has a strong Faculty of Law who could volunteer the time of a Professor Emeratus in Law. Doug.
