Re:CUPS License Change Coming
by cyphar on Saturday November 11, 2017 @03:27AM
(#15675501)
> Also, reading that license for corner cases, what is the legal meaning of “worldwide”? Would it be legal to use OpenStreetMap data from orbit? From a moon observatory? From Mars?
I guess that you have similar issues with Apache 2.0 (which also uses the term "worldwide"), GPLv3 (it uses "worldwide" for the patent grant), MPLv2, all of the Creative Commons licenses, etc.
"Worldwide" is a very commonly used term in license texts (even texts of proprietary licenses). Since NASA uses software licensed under the above licenses, and nobody has sued them, I doubt that this is going to be a huge legal problem. Not to mention if it ever went to court, the context of the time the license was written would be considered, and the term "worldwide" would likely be considered identical to "universal".
I guess that you have similar issues with Apache 2.0 (which also uses the term "worldwide"), GPLv3 (it uses "worldwide" for the patent grant), MPLv2, all of the Creative Commons licenses, etc.
"Worldwide" is a very commonly used term in license texts (even texts of proprietary licenses). Since NASA uses software licensed under the above licenses, and nobody has sued them, I doubt that this is going to be a huge legal problem. Not to mention if it ever went to court, the context of the time the license was written would be considered, and the term "worldwide" would likely be considered identical to "universal".