To: gnu-arch-users@gnu.org
Subject: Re: [Gnu-arch-users] GNU copyright assignment
In-Reply-To: <200410252004.i9PK4Pw8066415@xl2.seyza.com>
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Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 20:05:04 -0400
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From: jblack@merconline.com (James Blackwell)
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In lists.arch.users, you wrote:
>
>     > From: Florian Weimer <fw@deneb.enyo.de>
>
>     > > Tom wants this to be a GNU project.
>
>     > > This has consequences - the primary one being that copyright
>     > > is assigned to the FSF (for "GNU arch proper").
>
>     > I think the copyright assignment is optional.  Other things are more
>     > important.
>
> Because the proportion of code that I *don't* own (and hence can't
> personally assign to the FSF) is currently so small, it is not a
> disaster if there remains some code which has not been assigned.

Granted, you own a large share of the copyright (my calculations show
approxmiately 85%) in 1.2.0 and 1.2.1, though that number drops
dramatically if you include the patches that made up my 1.2.2rc2 and
1.2.3rc1 (which wasn't released).

But that other 15%... What are you going to do with it? Sure, you'll be
able to get plenty of people to sign legal copyright transfer forms (at
least if you pay for the shipping). 

But lets say that only 2/3 of the people do that, leaving 1/3 of the
people that either say no, or can't be reached. That still leaves 5%
of the code in 1.2.0 and 1.2.1. What happens to that code? Will you keep
it and tell the FSF that they have most of the copyright? Or will you
pull it out?

> However, going forward, I hope to reach a state where all
> non-"trivial" contributions (i.e., those meritting copyright
> protection) are either assigned or are rejected because they have not
> been assigned.

Thats not a concern to me. Its not the stuff coming in, its the stuff
already there.

-- 
James Blackwell          Try something fun: For the next 24 hours, give
Smile more!              each person you meet a compliment!

GnuPG (ID 06357400) AAE4 8C76 58DA 5902 761D  247A 8A55 DA73 0635 7400


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