www/licenses license-list.html

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       18/12/29 05:37:04

Modified files:
        licenses       : license-list.html 

Log message:
        Talk about the possibility that these patents have expired.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/licenses/license-list.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.497&r2=1.498

Patches:
Index: license-list.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/licenses/license-list.html,v
retrieving revision 1.497
retrieving revision 1.498
diff -u -b -r1.497 -r1.498
--- license-list.html   15 Dec 2018 14:02:37 -0000      1.497
+++ license-list.html   29 Dec 2018 10:37:04 -0000      1.498
@@ -1331,13 +1331,22 @@
 incompatible with any version of the GNU GPL.</p>
 
 <p>It has a special danger in the form of a term expressly stating it
-does not grant you any patent licenses, with an enticement to buy
+does not grant you any patent licenses, with an invitation to buy
 some.  Because of this, and because the license author is a known
 patent aggressor, we encourage you to be careful about using or
-redistributing any software under this license: you should first
-consider whether the licensor might want to sue you for patent
-infringement.  If you conclude that the program is bait for a patent
-trap, it would be wise to avoid the program.</p></dd>
+redistributing software under this license: you should first consider
+whether the licensor might aim to lure you into patent infringement.
+If you conclude that the program is bait for a patent trap, it would
+be wise to avoid the program.</p>
+
+<p>
+It is possible that the pertinent patents have expired.  Depending on
+whether Fraunhofer still has active patents covering the work, the
+software might be a trap now, or not.  (Of course, any program is
+potentially threatened by patents, and the only way to end that is to
+change patent law to <a href="/philosophy/limit-patent-effect.html">
+make software safe from patents</a>.)<p/>
+</dd>
 
 <dt><a id="gnuplot"
        href="http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/License:Gnuplot";>
@@ -2779,7 +2788,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2018/12/15 14:02:37 $
+$Date: 2018/12/29 10:37:04 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>