From: David B. Held (dheld_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-11-29 16:24:44
"John Maddock" <jm_at_[hidden]> wrote in message
news:011f01c2979d$e3c6a020$cb5287d9_at_1016031671...
> [...]
> Hard to make any patent guarentees I think, as I'm sure the inventors of
> the .gif format would attest to.
Maybe the Boost moderators could solicit donations from companies
with a vested interest in the success of Boost. In particular, it would be
interesting if a legal advisory panel/committee or some such could be
assembled on a purely voluntary basis to perform patent searches and
and give advice on license terms. It seems that if some well-heeled
companies gain some benefit from using Boost, this is a reasonably
small way they can contribute, with resources that they are already
paying for anyway. And if Boost is a legal non-profit organization, then
maybe the donations could be tax deductible as well? I have
no idea. Also, it would help Boost authors devise licenses that are
fair, but perhaps offer a stronger level of protection to potential library
users. So it would ultimately benefit those who contribute.
Dave