[Labs-l] Question: json license not free enough?

Tue May 28 09:23:12 UTC 2013

On Tue, 28 May 2013 11:03:18 +0200
Jérémie Roquet <arkanosis at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> 2013/5/28 Johannes Kroll <johannes.kroll at wikimedia.de>:
> > On Tue, 28 May 2013 09:58:59 +0200
> > Silke Meyer <silke.meyer at wikimedia.de> wrote:
> >>
> >> Here: A toolserver user is running javascript validators (explained at
> >> [1]) that are licensed under the json license [2]. He read that it's
> >> not free enough because it states "The Software shall be used for
> >> Good, not Evil."
> >> Is this a reason to exclude a tool from running in Tool Labs? o_O
> >
> > I would hope so. Is this a joke license? It certainly can't be OSI
> > approved... It would be fun to watch a court define the line between
> > Good and Evil, though...
> 
> It's a non-free license anyway… which has already proven to be
> problematic for some users such as IBM and Google, see
> http://dev.hasenj.org/post/3272592502/ibm-and-its-minions or
> http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10422338-264.html .

I think we should be serious about getting one of those "use for evil"
permissions.

And printing it on T-Shirts! :D

But seriously, with an unenforceable statement like that, the
whole license may be invalid... IANAL, of course... And it does make
the license non-free by OSI definition, I think... It is similar to
exclusive statements like "This software may not be used by the
military" which also makes a license non-free... 

-- 
Johannes Kroll
Softwareentwickler

Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | NEU: Obentrautstr. 72 | 10963 Berlin
Tel. (030) 219 158 26-0

http://wikimedia.de

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