[Freegis-list] ERMapper ECW License problematic

[Stefano Maffulli]

On Wed, 2006-09-27 at 09:47 +1000, Tom Lynch wrote:



> It is true, and somewhat unfortunate, that it does not conform to the
> FSF's guidelines for "free" software.  This is something that comes
> under regular review at ER Mapper.  We could, for the most part,
> transfer the license to a straight GPL dual license, but we are
> somewhat concerned that the ECW format might be modified by third
> parties, creating format compatibility problems.

If this is the main concern then probably a solution can rotate around
trademark enforcement: software that is ECW standard complaint can use
the trademark, otherwise you can enforce it against software
distributors that don't comply.  This would be a short term solution,
because the long term one would be to hand the standard to a open
standard definition body.

IANAL, TINLA.

If you are interested in following this path I'm sure FSFs around the
world can provide legal suggestions.

> Also, the SDK is a commercial product and its main focus is still
> commercial licensing.

As you said, dual licensing can help your business model in the short
term, while you adjust it to a more sustainable one :)

cheers
stef