[lsb-discuss] LSB conf call notes for 2008-05-14

[Nelson B Bolyard]

Nelson B Bolyard wrote, On 2008-05-15 08:13:
> US Export control regulations contain various "exceptions".
> Those exceptions include such things as
> - "mass market" software
> - "open source" software
> 
> NSS is freely exported from the US due to these exceptions.
> 
> Before these exceptions went into the regulations in the year 2000, a
> "U.S. person" (a term defined in the export control regulations) could
> go to prison for exporting crypto source code.  Making crypto source code
> available for download in the internet was a quick way to be visited by
> the authorities. 

I meant to add this.  Before year 2000, there were a lot of things one
could do to make crypto binaries (not source) exportable.  I even hold
US patents on some of those methods.  But I'm happy to report that, since
the regulations changed in the year 2000, those patents are now entirely
worthless!  :)  There really are no hoops to jump through to export NSS.