Hi there,
French law # 2004-575, June 21, 2004, that can be consulted online here :
http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/texteconsolide/PCEBX.htm
Defines in "Titre Ier, Article 4" what a "standard ouvert" (an open standard)
is, in the following terms:
<<<<<
On entend par standard ouvert tout protocole de communication,
d'interconnexion ou d'échange et tout format de données interopérable et
dont les spécifications techniques sont publiques et sans restriction
d'accès ni de mise en oeuvre.
Which would translate into english as follows :
<< "open standard" means any communication, interconnection or exchange
protocol and any interoperable data format for which technical specifications
are public and without access or usage restriction. >>
This definition excludes from being an "open standard" a standard which use
would be restricted by a license such as MS Caller-ID license.
Coming regulations require that only open standards should be used in
communications and data interchange for the French government, public
administrations and para-public organisms.
Adopting as an IETF standard any protocol that would be encumbered with
implementation licenses, and thus doesn't qualify as an "open standard" as
defined by the French law would probably prohibit its use by the French
governement and public administrations.
Still I'm not a lawyer, and don't have all the current and coming regulations
in mind, but I believe that France is surely not the only country that is now
taking this kind of issues quite seriously...
Regards.
--
Michel Bouissou <michel(_at_)bouissou(_dot_)net> OpenPGP ID 0xDDE8AC6E