free-sw.html version 1.122

date: 2013-06-18 04:41:56 +0000;  author: rms;  state: Exp;  lines: +17 -3;  commitid: QhuIZsFFkBiqj3Uw;
A trivial export control requirement is not an actual problem.


Index: free-sw.html
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RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/free-sw.html,v
retrieving revision 1.121
retrieving revision 1.122
diff -U 2 -r1.121 -r1.122
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++ free-sw.html	27 May	18 Jun 2013 03:49:32 04:41:56 -0000	1.121	1.122
@@ -230,6 +230,16 @@
way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the
jurisdictions of these governments.  Thus, free software licenses
must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a
condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.
</p>

<p>
Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making
them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does
not restrict users.  If an export regulation is actually trivial for
free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual
problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in
export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the
software nonfree.
</p>

@@ -341,4 +351,8 @@
<ul>

<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.121&r2=1.122">Version
1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the
requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li>

<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.110&r2=1.111">Version
1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only
@@ -467,5 +481,5 @@
<p>Updated:
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$Date: 2026/01/28 17:24:09 $
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</p>