No, it only puts power in the hands of the big players. It might mean the big players can't sue each other, but they can absolutely sue the smaller companies. BSD + Patents only "disarms" anyone who's actually using the licensed software, and perhaps more importantly, depending on it to the extent that they can't reasonably move away if they lose the patent grant. Even if Facebook did start using OSS from some small company, they could probably just rewrite the software themselves if they want to sue the company.
Patents offer small companies no protection in a dispute with a large company. The legal fight is too expensive.
Both Facebook and Google's lawyers want to create a world where software patents don't block innovation.
BSD + Patents doesn't look like the way we'll get there. Is there a way we can get there without putting "power in the hands of the big players" in the interim?
No it doesn't; read the license again. It disarms you from being the aggressor; if FB comes after you, you keep your right to counter-sue while also keeping your license to use the software.
Yes it does, Them using patents that you don't grant them and you being unable to sue them for it is definitely putting the power in their hands.
Yes, that's exactly the point. It disarms people from fighting over patent nonsense. If you hate software patents you should love the bad + patents license.
Facebook could never take away your license to the software. BSD license was irrevocable, whether you sued them or not.
It already exists and is called the Apache license. If you want to disarm patent trolls but don't want to compel the preservation of user freedoms on other distributors of your software license it ALv2.
No, it would disarm the group whose software is used by everyone else. If you're a small company, it's not likely that you have written stuff that Facebook uses. So, that world looks like one where all big companies are untouchable, but they can easily pick on small companies. Really not good.
Nope. See other replies. The license termination clause only goes into effect if you as the user of the software are the initial aggressor in a patent suit.
Maybe that's so but do you really think you can change the license or all open source projects from companies? That's a fantasy.