Re: lynx-dev new encryption policy

[David Woolley]

> 
> that's by no means clear: contract provisions of all kinds are usually void
> if obeying them would involve a breach of criminal law (some of us believe,
> of course, that Cuba & Iraq are victims a/a sponsors of state terrorism ... )

Most commercial contracts have a severability clause which limits
the damage caused by voided clauses.  The GPL is written with what is
effectively a no severability clause, so that legislation that voids
one clause, will void the whole licence; i.e. if a GPLed program cannot
be distributed somewhere because of a government restriction, the whole
licence to redistribute is void and you cannot distribute it to anyone.
Remember that the default position in copyright is that there is no
permission to copy.

This sounds like something that ought to be put on the gnu.misc.discuss
newsgroup.