Re: A question about submitting a new source code file

[Paul Smith]

On Wed, 2024-04-03 at 09:33 -0400, Dmitry Goncharov wrote:
> Paul, i'd like to contribute another bugfix which involves a brand
> new source code file. i will assign the ownership to fsf, if needed.
> However, i'd like to be able to use that source file in my other
> projects, which are not gpl. i have seen other gnu projects including
> public domain code. What is your take on this? Do you think a file
> can be included in make, if i made it public domain?

Hi Dmitry: I apologize for the delay in responding: I was scuba diving
in Honduras this past week.

I'm not sure I recall which paperwork you used to assign to the FSF,
but it doesn't really matter.  All paperwork I'm aware of provides that
anything you assign to the FSF, the FSF then grants you a complete
license to that code to do whatever you like with (insofar as it's
yours: if you just modify already-existing GPL'd code created by
someone else you don't get a license for that).

In short, if you create a new file and assign it to the FSF then you
can still do whatever you want with that file, including even use a
completely proprietary license for it.


Here is the relevant bit of the agreement which I believe is the one
you signed:

> (d) FSF agrees to grant back to Developer, and does hereby grant,
> non-exclusive, royalty-free and non-cancellable rights to use the
> Works (i.e., Developer's changes and/or enhancements, not the Program
> that they enhance), as Developer sees fit; this grant back does not
> limit FSF's rights and public rights acquired through this agreement.

-- 
Paul D. Smith <psmith@gnu.org>            Find some GNU Make tips at:
https://www.gnu.org                       http://make.mad-scientist.net
"Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad
Scientist