I don't see why. Liability for other dangerous, complex artifacts don't necessarily follow that rule, even when it comes to software, and even when it comes to

I don't see why. Liability for other dangerous, complex artifacts don't necessarily follow that rule, even when it comes to software, and even when it comes to open source software. GPSd is one example. Used pretty much everywhere, including life-and-death real-world situations. Consumer products (like your car's GPS) including it tend to pop up a "don't be an idiot, but we're not liable even if this malfunctions" screen. (The Pentagon and oceanic research operations, well, I'm the wrong person to ask about how they handle software liability, but kinda doubt we'll see class actions from either.) But the important part is that that screen is not there to protect the authors of GPSd. It is there to protect the VAR.