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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thanks Bob.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Landon</span></font></b></strong><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Cell Phone Number: (209) 992-0658</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Moskovitz, Bob<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, April 02, 2009
1:59 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">OSGeo
Discussions</st1:PersonName><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> RE: [OSGeo-Discuss]
Liability Issues For Companies SupportingOpenSource Development</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>I wonder if the California State
Department of Boating and Waterways support of Starspan (see <a
href="http://starspan.casil.ucdavis.edu/doku/doku.php">http://starspan.casil.ucdavis.edu/doku/doku.php</a>)
might give you a lead.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p><b><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Courier New";font-weight:bold'>Bob Moskovitz</span></font></b> <br>
<b><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Courier New";font-weight:bold'>Research Analyst I</span></font></b> <br>
<b><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Courier New";font-weight:bold'>Seismic Hazard Zonation Project</span></font></b><br>
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";font-weight:bold'>California</span></font></b></st1:place></st1:State><b><font
size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";
font-weight:bold'> Geological Survey</span></font></b> <br>
<b><font size=2 color=blue face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";color:blue;font-weight:bold'>http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/shzp</span></font></b><font
color=blue><span style='color:blue'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=1 color=gray face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> -----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b>
discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org]<b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Landon Blake<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, April 02, 2009
11:45 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">OSGeo
Discussions</st1:PersonName><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [OSGeo-Discuss] Liability
Issues For Companies Supporting OpenSource Development<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;
margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><!--ppd1000033-->
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I’m curious about the type if liability issues a
company might open itself up to by supporting open source software development.
Let me give you a scenario:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>A graphic design company decides it will sponsor some
development of the SVG editor Inkscape. It puts out an RFP for the
functionality it would like added to the program. It sets up a source code
repository for these changes, hires a company/individual developer to perform
the work, and works with the community to integrate the improvements back into
the main development trunk.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>What legal liability might this introduce the company to?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Is there an article or paper that discusses this question?
I’m working on small business support for an open source project, and I
know one of the first objections I will run into is “we don’t want
to be liable for any programming effort we support financially”.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Any suggestions?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Landon<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<br>
</span></font><strong><b><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;
font-family:Arial'>Warning:</span></font></b></strong><b><font size=1
face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><br>
</span></font></b><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;
font-family:Arial'>Information provided via electronic media is not guaranteed
against defects including translation and transmission errors. If the reader is
not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination,
distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If
you have received this information in error, please notify the sender
immediately.</span></font> <o:p></o:p></p>
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