On Thu, 12 Feb 2004, Bryan Geurts wrote: > 1H. "Recipient" means anyone who acquires the Subject Software under > this Agreement, including all Contributors. > > 1M. "Use" means the application or employment of the Subject > Software for any purpose. > > 3F. In an effort to track usage and maintain accurate records of the > Subject Software, each Recipient, upon receipt of the Subject > Software, is requested to register with NASA by visiting the > following website: ______________________________.
Does the combination of the above imply that one have to register once one downloads NASA software? Downloading software package can be considered "Use" (the purpose would be occupying disk space, for example). And Use requires registration, right? Does reading software documentation covered by the NOSA license (e.g., on a public Web site with a link to NOSA license) require registration? Is registration required for each downloaded version of the software? Each major version? Each patch? Each installation? If NASA registration web site is down, does one have to wait with Using software until the site is up and operational? What if recipient does not have Internet connectivity (she got NASA software on a CD via mail) or NASA site is being blocked by her ISP? What if specified web site has moved or does not exist (e.g., NASA has been shut down for good). Or does "requested to register" imply no mandatory action from the Recipient? After all, the license does not say "shall register". Would supplying wrong name to NASA.gov be considered a felony or just void the license? > Recipient's name and personal information shall be used for > statistical purposes only. The above does not seem to create any conditions for or require any actions from the Recipient. Why include this phrase? Is the intent to render the license void if NASA uses personal information for nonstatistical purposes? Is publishing a list of names with the number of registrations per month for each name a statistical purpose? How about identifying the user that registered more times than all other users (statistical maximum)? Thanks, Alex. P.S. Not sure why, but I am surprised that a government organization would want to establish extreme tracking measures which are likely to hinder its tax-funded software. -- license-discuss archive is at http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?3