<div>Forming a "legal entity" (an LLC) creates LIABILITY. You are giving LL a "legal entity" to sue.</div><div><br></div><div>At this point, LL has no one to sue/fight/shut down. By creating a "legal entity", you are giving LL (or whoever buys out LL in the future) a target to fight/sue (and an opportunity to shut down "OpenSim").</div>
<div><br></div><div>"Deep pocket" Legal teams (i.e. LL) could go after OpenSim (if it were a "legal entity). Litigation is extremely costly, and regardless of what the licensing is on the viewer (GPL, LGPL, etc.) there is still the legal issue of "reverse engineering".</div>
<div><br></div><div>At this point, "OpenSim" is NOT a legal entity, and there is no real "head" to "target" or sue (or "shut down"). By forming a LEGAL entity, you open the whole project up to LIABILITY. All it takes is one "cease and desist" letter, and the whole project (and "spawn" projects) could be put in danger (and could turn into a large and costly legal battle).</div>
<div><br></div>This would put EVERYONE (including all the businesses and other projects that are based upon OpenSim core) in danger. As the outcome of that litigation would determine the future of ANY projects based on OpenSim. Sometimes it's best to just leave things the way they are. Some may feel that we are being "overly cautious" but there's good reason for it. We don't have the deep pockets for litigation that LL has, and all it takes is a "cease and desist" letter (and threats of costly litigation) to put a project like this under.<div>
<br></div><div>If we are NOT a legal "entity" then we are nothing more than individual contributors to a "headless" open source project. Other groups and other projects can SPAWN off of this one, and continue to evolve (i.e. RealXtend, ScienceSim, etc.).</div>
<div><br></div><div>Anyone can take the OpenSim core, and form their own new project. They can write/add code, and make their own modules/source freely available (just like RealXtend or ScienceSim, etc.)</div><div><br></div>
<div>> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">and should be done immediately before communities branch off on the</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">> assumption that the OpenSim policy will continue to exclude them.</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with "communities" branching off of OpenSim (i.e. RealXtend, ScienceSim, etc.) This keeps the OpenSim "core" community safe, and innovative development work done at various community "branches" and innovative ideas can always be shared or eventually fed back to core. </div>
<div><br></div><div><div><div>Creative "innovation" is a good thing, but by allowing people to work on (or view) the LL Viewer source code, and then work on OpenSim server (without a 6-month "breather" period) you are ultimately poisoning the whole OpenSim project by ALLOWING contributors to "reverse engineer" the LL Server. (Thus opening up the whole project AND all other spawn projects to LEGAL LIABILITY).</div>
<div><br></div><div>Regardless of what "license" a Viewer source is (GPL, LGPL,etc.), by enforcing a 6-month "breather" period, you are ensuring that you are not "contaminating" the OpenSim Server project by contributing server code (that could be developed or influenced by viewing the source code of LL's Second Life Viewer). </div>
<div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><b><i>"You have not studied source code from the GPL Second Life viewer or its derivatives within the last 6 months."</i></b></span><b><i> </i></b></div>
</div></div><div><br></div><div>Keep in mind that LL's server code is Intellectual Property, and it is NOT open source, or freely available. <br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br>
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; font-size: small; "><div>
Regardless of what "license" the LL Viewer is, that really has nothing to do with protecting the OpenSim server core from being "tainted" by anyone having viewed the LL Server source, or LL Viewer Source, while contributing code to OpenSim Server.</div>
<div><br></div><div><div>Allowing contributors to view Second Life Viewer source and work on OpenSim server, without a "6-month" breather period could put the whole project in jeopardy as contributor's could be "influenced" by LL and Second Life's viewer source code (thus "reverse engineering" LL's server). </div>
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">Ultimately the "community" needs to develop new viewers that are written from the ground up completely independent of LL and Second Life </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">(i.e. Naali, etc.)</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br></span></div></span></span></div><div>This 6-month "breathing period" is a reasonable effort to ensure that developers that are contributing code to OpenSim Server are NOT "reverse engineering" LL's server code, nor are they "influenced" by viewing the LL viewer source, and then adding/developing features into the OpenSim Server code based on the LL viewer source (ultimately "reverse engineering" LL's server code).</div>
<div><br></div><div>It would be EXTREMELY difficult to prove that we are NOT "reverse engineering" LL's server if we are in fact allowing contributors to view Second Life Viewer source code, while developing a server that acts, looks, and behaves like Second Life (and even allows for LSL scripting). </div>
<div><br></div><div><b><i>> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">You have not witnessed, seen or been party to the development of the </span></i></b></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><b><i>> official Linden Lab Server Software.</i></b></span></div><div><br></div><div>This statement is there for a reason.</div>
<div><br></div><div><b><i>> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">You have not studied source code from the GPL Second Life viewer or </span></i></b></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><b><i>> its derivatives within the last 6 months.</i></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br>
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">This statement is there for a reason as well. The OpenSim project MUST ensure that contributors are NOT "reverse engineering" LL's server code by viewing any LL/Second Life Viewer or Server source, and that their contributions to OpenSim core are ORIGINAL and NOT being influenced by viewing any LL source code. </span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">It's difficult to say that this is true if you allow contributers to view LL's source code, and work on OpenSim server (without a 6-month "quarantine" period"). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; ">This is an Intellectual Property issue, not a "GPL" licensing issue.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">> </span>I think a change of policy is now possible</div>
<div><br></div><div>OpenSim is too much like another large company's product (Second Life). The 6-month "quarantine" period is to help protect the OpenSim project from the threat of litigation. A "change of policy" will NEVER be possible, unless EVERY developer working on OpenSim can get a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">waiver from Linden Lab disclaiming ANY interest in your contributions.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">Keep in mind that Linden Lab's server code is NOT GPL or LGPL (nor is it "open source"). If Linden Lab refuses to make their LL server source code public or "open source" then clearly Linden Lab doesn't want any "competitors" to get an economic advantage over Linden Lab (or it's Second Life server product). </span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">Developing an "open source" competing server product (OpenSim) by allowing developers to view LL's Viewer Source code (while contributing to OpenSim) would/could be viewed as "reverse engineering" LL's server code. As it stands, the 6-month "quarantine" period should be fairly sufficient to prevent anyone from "reverse engineering" or "copying" or "remembering" any of LL's intellectual property. </span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; font-size: small; ">Unless developer's working on OpenSim (and viewing LL's source code) can get a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">waiver from Linden Lab disclaiming ANY interest in your contributions, it's NOT wise to endanger the whole OpenSim project by allowing contributors to view Second Life Viewer source code, while contributing to OpenSim server project.</span></span></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><br>
</span></div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 4:08 AM, Ai Austin <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ai.ai.austin@gmail.com">ai.ai.austin@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div class="im">At 00:46 02/11/2010, Crista Lopes <<a href="mailto:lopes@ics.uci.edu" target="_blank">lopes@ics.uci.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Whatever the original legal advice was, it resulted in the current rules described here:<br>
<a href="http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Contributions_Policy" target="_blank">http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Contributions_Policy</a><br>
<br>
For the past year or so, we have been consulting informally with a lawyer based in San Diego who is very much inside the issues. When we inquired about relaxing the restrictive rules, including the 6-month quarantine, he reinforced the need for those rules.<br>
</blockquote>
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The policy as written assumes GPL Second Life Viewer code, which of course has now changed to LGPL. That makes all the difference. I totally agree we cannot accept contributions based on any virally defined GPL code base, as the contributions policy very appropriately states, and should continue to state.<br>
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I personally don't think a lawyer is needed to read and act on LGPL... and don't see what we gain by having them read things given that we act as individuals and not a LLC anyway. But if any lawyer gave input out of the goodness of their heart, the main question is whether they gave advice on the basis of the change of licence terms (already in place) for the SL Viewer code which was announced a few months ago and is now within the last month implemented by a change of the licence file within the viewer sources.<br>
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That's why I think a change of policy is now possible, and should be done immediately before communities branch off on the assumption that the OpenSim policy will continue to exclude them.<div><div></div><div class="h5">
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