[Fingerforce-devel] 0.4 release soon?

[Daniel Drake]

Radek Bartoň wrote:
> Meanwhile, I'll watch fprint progress especially NBIS legal issues. I 
> don't understand that much but if that export restrictions would lead for 
> example to problems using fprint library in projects like OPLC distributed to 
> third-world countries, I would prefer to make FVS fast and useable enough and 
> without these restrictions.

There are no legal issues that NBIS is subject to which FVS is not.

US export control laws apply to all exports from the US, regardless of 
origin of the exported item.

This may not be a problem for you and me (as we are both outside of the 
US), but it of course affects distribution vendors who distribute such 
materials from US-based servers  (i.e. all of the main ones).

If distributing NBIS from US servers is in violation of the EAR, then 
distribution of FVS is also in violation. There's nothing special which 
makes NBIS subject to the requirements of the export administration 
regulations (after all, they apply to all exports), and there's nothing 
special that exempts FVS from the same regulations.

However, the reality is that it is fine to export both as the software 
for both is publicly available and hence not subject to the EAR. I have 
had confirmation of this from a US exports officer and all this is 
documented on the fprint website.

Daniel