XPost: alt.comp.software.seamonkey   
   From: worldoff9908@gmail.com   
      
   Andrew wrote:   
   > Today I asked the maintainer if he could update the version in "Update"   
   > to a more recent released level, and this was his reply.   
   >   
   >> I'm afraid there's nothing I can do -- I've been su   
   mitting the new versions as soon as they've been releas   
   d, but they've all been stuck in legal review.  I and   
    other packagers have been occasionally nudging the    
   lawyers but we never hear back from them.   
   >>   
   >   
   > Does anyone know why a new Seamonkey level requires "legal review", in   
   > particular when this level is freely available in anot   
   er repository anyway.   
   >   
   > When Tristan refers to "other packagers", that reads as though other   
   > products are also affected.  What the F is going on here?  Are the   
   > lawyers getting involved in things which do not concern them?   
      
   I don't have any inside information, just speculation.   
      
   My best guess is that they've decided that review is needed to ensure   
   that a formal release doesn't have any copyrighted code in it that would   
   potentially expose them to lawsuits.   
      
   Even if the same stuff is in the Test repository, the expectation is   
   that paying users are going to be using the stuff that officially   
   released in the Update repository.   
      
   "other packagers" is likely to be the maintainers of other packages that   
   have to jump through the same hoops to get their stuff released.   
      
   I agree that it's annoying, especially for work that's limited to bug   
   and security fixes and no new code.  But I think the reviewers are   
   looking for inclusion of new stuff that may have intellectual property   
   restrictions.   
      
   Unfortunately, where potential legal liabilities are at stake,   
   everything is of concern to the lawyers.   
      
   Smith   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)