Like it or not, Theo has a point... freebsd is shipping export-restricted software in the core

Rob Farmer rfarmer at predatorlabs.net
Thu Oct 7 02:18:22 UTC 2010


On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 14:46, Randal L. Schwartz <merlyn at stonehenge.com> wrote:
> I understand that entirely.  Which is why it would be reasonable (and
> downright ethical) to ensure that every FreeBSD integrator be made well
> aware of this restriction.
>
> It hadn't occurred to *me* for example to think that FreeBSD might be
> restricted.  And I hadn't seen any prominent disclaimers.  Why rely on a
> very very buried notice?

If your business model involves importing/exporting large collections
of material which you did not create, and further more do not outright
own, but are licensed to use under certain conditions, then you need
to have both a lawyer and an accountant review your setup for any
potential issues. There are entire college degrees in international
business and it is folly to think that all the ins and outs of a
particular scenario will be readily apparent.

A competent review would turn up this license clause and would give
you advice on what to do about it. I don't think complaining that you
weren't aware of the license terms before exporting is valid.
Furthermore, this isn't really a license issue, but more of a issue of
federal law. If you are in the US, these laws regarding what may be
exported to where always apply, regardless of what the license says.

Making the license more visible may be a good idea, but doesn't
materially change the situation any.

-- 
Rob Farmer


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