On 2022-08-16 10:28, Alberto Planas wrote:

No, it does not control how to use the distribution but the trademark.

I can download openSUSE Leap 15.4, install it into my new nuke and control it. Maybe I cannot say "Nuke powered by *openSUSE* Leap 15.4", as I would be using the trademark. But I definitively can run the software at my will.

In other case this will be in contradiction with some (all?) the licenses that compose the distribution, that are explicit in granting the freedom of running the software.

For example, in the GPL Faq[1]

""" Can I use GPLed software on a device that will stop operating if customers do not continue paying a subscription fee? (#SubscriptionFee)

No. In this scenario, the requirement to keep paying a fee limits the user's ability to run the program. This is an additional requirement on top of the GPL, and the license prohibits it. """

[1] https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html

The statement was that open source licensed software has no restrictions on use The reality is, many open source licenses have restrictions on use The GPL as an example restricts “use” in the context of redistribution. You can’t use the GPL in something that is provided to others without providing the source - that’s a restriction. The GPLv3 goes further, restricting hardware manufacturers from locking down their hardware from installing other software. It’s a restriction the name of user freedom, but ultimately it’s a restriction, the people building the hardware can’t do whatever they want with GPLv3 software. And the openSUSE license also has restrictions on use. Whether or not the openSUSE license can be changed like Simon suggests, and even accepting your example above, my fundamental point remains Open source licenses can and habitually do have restrictions limiting their use, which undermines the argument that once open source software is released it can be used for anything by anyone. -- Richard Brown Linux Distribution Engineer - Future Technology Team SUSE Software Solutions Germany GmbH, Frankenstraße 146, D-90461 Nuremberg, Germany (HRB 36809, AG Nürnberg) Managing Directors/Geschäftsführer: Ivo Totev, Andrew Myers, Andrew McDonald, Martje Boudien Moerman