Re: Some comments

[Frank Hecker <frank collab net>]

Jim Gettys wrote:
> Another example: a (major) vendor may be thinking about donating
> code or other technology to the project.  The vendor cannot get
> press coverage if it isn't "news".  This is the way the press
> works, for better or for worse, BTW.
> 
> So a vendor would like to keep it secret until announcement, but
> also need comments for their press release.  Right now, this means
> that at best there are approaches to individuals, which I think is
> a much worse situation than to a board (which may involved.
> 
> Solution: limited confidentiality...

To add a little bit to this, in cases like this the appropriate people
(board members or whoever else is involved in discussions) could enter
into time-limited non-disclosure agreements; for example, the
requirement for confidentiality might expire at the time of
announcement.

In other cases the board might hold preliminary discussions in private
prior to announcing a public decision. A good example is legal issues,
which Alan Cox brought up. Suppose, for example, that somebody were to
try and sue the foundation for allegedly infringing on a patent, and the
board then retained legal counsel to get their advice on a course of
action. Those discussions (at least in the US) would be considered
protected under the principle of client-attorney privilege, and the
board might decide not to publish particular aspects of those
discussions to foundation members and the general public, but rather to
just publish an "official" public statement in response.

Frank
-- 
Frank Hecker            work: http://www.collab.net/
frank@collab.net        home: http://www.hecker.org/