*BSD News Article 27267


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From: nate@bsd.coe.montana.edu (Nate Williams)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Subject: Re: USL vs. BSDI Lawsuit Settled
Date: 10 Feb 1994 01:56:45 GMT
Organization: Montana State University - Bozeman MT
Lines: 39
Message-ID: <2jc48t$1pa@pdq.coe.montana.edu>
References: <2j45sm$39l@BSDI.COM> <WAYNE.94Feb7070413@backbone.uucp> <tgmCKv40r.Iz5@netcom.com> <CKvC57.MHy@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
NNTP-Posting-Host: bsd.coe.montana.edu

In article <CKvC57.MHy@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>,
Richard Tobin <richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
>In article <tgmCKv40r.Iz5@netcom.com> tgm@netcom.com (Thomas G. McWilliams) writes:
>>It seems that any NET/2 derived work is affected. From the above
>>quote it appears that continued distribution of full NET/2 source
>>is not allowed, and that BSDI will have to distribute portions in
>>binary form until it can substitute the agreed upon portions of
>>4.4(Lite). I guess that the big question of interest is exactly
>>what portions of NET/2 are not freely distributable.
>
>[Note - I'm not a lawyer.]
>
>The fact that BSDI and UCB agreed not to continue distributing
>portions of Net/2 does not mean that they aren't legally freely
>distributable.  It just meant that BSDI and UCB decided it was in
>their interests to agree to cease distributing them (presumably in
>return for USL dropping the suit).  As far as I know, USL has not
>threatened any 386BSD (etc) users with lawsuits, and I see no reason
>for any of us to worry about it.

But they are completely free to 'threaten' those groups.

>PS Can the NetBSD / FreeBSD people confirm that USL haven't tried
>   to stop them distributing anything?

I can't speak for NetBSD, but nobody has approached FreeBSD that I'm
aware of (yet).  Howeer, there is no reason for them NOT to sue us for
distributing (and reasons to since they must feel there are valid
reasons for protecting their code) 'tainted' code, so it is the #1
priority of FreeBSD to replace those tainted files in FreeBSD with the
code release in 4.4 lite when we get access to it.


Nate
-- 
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