Messages in this thread | | | Date | Thu, 25 Oct 2018 17:41:23 -0400 | From | "Eric S. Raymond" <> | Subject | Re: The linux devs can rescind their license grant. |
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Theodore Y. Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu>: > On Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 03:39:01PM -0400, Eric S. Raymond wrote: > > Under Jacobsen vs. Katzer (535 f 3d 1373 fed cir 2008) authors of > > GPLed software have a specific right to relief (including injunctive > > relief) against misappropriation of their software. That ruling (which > > was the case of first impression on the binding status of the GPL) > > reputational damage is *specifically* recognized as grounds for relief. > > I've read the legal briefs, and I'm pretty sure they don't say what > you are claiming they say. Yes, I'm not a lawyer --- but that's OK > --- neither are you.
How much are you willing to gamble on not being wrong?
> The *vast* majority of the "anti-CoC dissidents" who have been > advancing this argument, have, as near as I can tell, little or no > copyright ownership in the kernel.
I do not have any facts with which to dispute this specific claim. However, I do notice that a significant number of long-time contributors have put themselves in the anti-CoC camp. I note Al Viro as a recent example.
Even supposing you are right about most of the anti-Coc people being outsiders, a tiny minority of people with a genuine IP stake could do a lot of damage. I ask again: how much are you willing to gamble on not being wrong?
I definitely do not want to see the kind of explosion we could witness. I think you are making it more likely rather than less by appearing high-handed and dismissive. Because, whatever the merits of the CoC itself, there has been a process failure here. It doesn't look good to be defending that failure.
A change like the CoC adoption was not a good thing to do without proper public notice, discussion, and consensus-building *beforehand*. This was an unforced error on the part of the leadership group; please, *please* don't compound it by digging in around the error. Do you really think you're going to win hearts and minds among insider dissidents - people with a genuine stake - by dismissing the opposition as a troll job?
Instead of declaiming about "trolls", how about we fix the process failure instead? -- <a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>
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