Re: Overview of copyright issues

[Hans Aberg]

On 10 Sep 2009, at 14:46, Joseph Wakeling wrote:

> > In GNU projects, the normal thing is that contributors sign a paper
> > which is sent in to GNU that they donate the code to GNU.
>
> Nope.
>
>   "For a program to be GNU software does not require transferring
>   copyright to the FSF; that is a separate question. If you transfer
>   the copyright to the FSF, the FSF will enforce the GPL for the
>   program if someone violates it; if you keep the copyright,
>   enforcement will be up to you."
>
> from:
> http://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html#whatmeans

You do not have to have to sign it over to FSF, obviously, since  
nobody can force you to give away what you own.

But that is how it is done on projects like Bison. Whenever new  
contributors show up, they are asked to sign a paper and send it in to  
FSF.

  Hans