Skip to main content
4 of 7
added 912 characters in body
7heo.tk
  • 299
  • 2
  • 6

As pointed out in a comment to this answer, a software license is a contract, as opposed to a law. The contract is, or isn't, enforceable, depending on the law(s) that apply where the user who asked the question is located.

While it is technically feasible to determine where a connection from a user to this website originated from, it is impossible to be certain where a user is located.

Therefore, it is impossible to determine with certainty if the question asked by a user goes against a legally enforceable contract; let alone to determine the existence/acceptance of such a contract.

As I have written in a comment to the same question, my opinion on the matter is that stack exchange at large (unless explicitly in the scope of a stack exchange website related to legal matters) is neither the right place to discuss or settle any legal question in depth, nor to limit, censor, modify or restrict a question or an answer based on local laws (so, obviously, to the exception of international law) or contracts.

This is simply because, setting aside the lack of legal knowledge from most of us; it is impossible, unless this information is provided by the OP in the first place, to determine if a question about a contract is breaching or not a local law or an enforceable contract: Internet is a worldwide technology, affecting users, well, worldwide; and a question or answer that might be illegal in your country might be perfectly legal in another (such example is the stack exchange website crypto.stackexchange.com which I believe to be mostly discussing matters that are illegal in Iran - and possibly India and/or China, and/or other countries).


So, in my opinion, applying the same policy on any activity which is only suspected to be illegal (while impossible to confirm) as on pirated software is a very dangerous and close-minded shortcut: while piracy is mostly illegal worldwide (even if not enforced everywhere consistently), the rights of corporations and other private entities on citizens and public life is highly variable from place to place; and it is objectionable for most of the countries on this planet to consider to ever apply the policy applied in the U.S. on this matter.

7heo.tk
  • 299
  • 2
  • 6