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List:       kde-policies
Subject:    Re: P2P file sharing software in KDE's CVS
From:       Eva Brucherseifer <eva () kde ! org>
Date:       2003-09-14 17:21:40
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On Saturday 13 September 2003 18:02, Ralf Nolden wrote:
> On Saturday 13 September 2003 17:46, Charles de Miramon wrote:
> > 	I agree with Scott. KMLDonkey is not an illegal program but a program
> > which main use is doing illegal stuff. By integrating it in KDExtragear,
> > the KDE Project is taking a legal and moral liability that we may wish we
> > had not took.
> >
> > 	My solution would be to keep the actual statu quo but explain to
> > KMplayer's contributors that in case of legal attacks on KMLDonkey, the
> > KDE project will have no solution but to take the code out of CVS and
> > that the KDE project will not do any promotion for the software, id est,
> > it is up to them to promote their program.
> >
> > 	My guess, is that by adopting a low profile, the KDE project is taking
> > little risk. The File Sharing legal mess is certainly going to be settled
> > in the next years.
>
> I'd like to remind that the KDE Project per se cannot be sued directly -
> the KDE e.V. is the only legal entity that could be sued or the individual
> authors directly. As the KDE e.V. is not responsible for the code rather
> than being a support organization, who should be sued if not the individual
> developers ? (and in that case it's *much* more likely that companies like
> Adobe for instance who already did that with killustrator, approach the
> companies that make their money with KDE software, i.e. the distributors,
> though that doesn't mean we shouldn't be acting responsible enough to not
> cause the distributors any trouble).

KDE e.V. is owning the servers and is distributing the software. So I think, 
we indeed take the responsibility here. 
Does anyone know more about the new law an authorship that became active 
yesterday? It definitly forbids the exchange of music files in large scale 
and also the distribution of programs that can copy music from copy protected 
CDs. 
So maybe the step to sue distributors of programs which enable the large scale 
exchange isn't that large?
Unfortunatly I don't remember wether it was a german law only or on a European 
level.

My feeling here is, that we should avoid this matter and let them use 
sourceforge or whatever whenever it's clear that the programs main use is for 
illegaly exchanging music files. Though I am not sure about the exact legal 
situation. 
Of course I am pro P2P for office use.

Greetings,
eva

>
> Ralf
>
> > Cheers,
> > Charles

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