[Foundation-l] Let's switch to CC-BY-SA

[David Gerard]

On 11/09/2007, Axel Boldt <axelboldt at yahoo.com> wrote:
> --- Erik Moeller <erik at wikimedia.org> wrote:

> > as we do not have to resort to a legally risky move

> I guess that's what it boils down to: how legally risky is my
> proposition? Granted that I don't have any experience in these matters;
> I just find it hard to believe that a person could
>   1) prove that they own the copyright to some Wikipedia content
>   2) convince a jury that they never heard about the opt-out offer
>   3) claim that the license change caused damages larger than their
> legal costs.
> If such whimsical lawsuits are indeed a possibility, then the danger of
> action should be weighed against the danger of inaction: right now, any
> past contributor could sue for violating GFDL 4.A, failing to change an
> article's title after modification. I just don't see how suits like
> that are viable.


I'd say it's not a legal problem - it's a public relations problem
(internal and external). Looking like we're asserting "all your base
are belong to us, sue if you don't like it" would appear (and IMO be)
extremely rude behaviour.


- d.