Legal Primer

[indolering]

The lawyers got back to me with an unfortunate non-response regarding Speech.is. They did, however, point me to this great primer on the legal aspects of a FOSS project. Of particular interest is section 3, Common Organizational Issues. Of particular note,

"Developers working alone, apart from any corporate form, are not shielded from personal liability for project-related activities. If a developer takes donations or otherwise receives money for working on a solo project, the developer must report that compensation as personal income and pay income taxes on it. Likewise, all legal liability to third parties will fall to the developer. For example, the developer may be liable to users for breach of any express warranties made regarding the software, or any implied warranties that are not effectively disclaimed. Claims by other software producers for copyright, patent, or trademark infringement could also be brought directly against the developer. While there may be advantages to one-developer projects, it is important to realize that the personal assets of the developer could be completely exposed. Formal legal structures, while not a panacea, can help developers to manage their liability and risk."

[virtual_master]

Hmmm.
Lawyers can sometimes deliver a good show to increase attention on something.
It came to my mind a possible new Namecoin application.
A court process in the blockchain with implemented rules.

That would draw attention.