Re: A question about submitting a new source code file

[Paul Smith]

On Sun, 2024-04-07 at 09:30 -0400, Dmitry Goncharov wrote:
> Good morning, Paul.
> 
> Thanks for the explanation.
> 
> On Sun, Apr 7, 2024 at 8:08 AM Paul Smith <psmith@gnu.org> wrote:
> > 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.
> 
> i am intending to include that file to a library of mine which is
> released under the bsd license. Usually, souch source code file would
> contain something like
> /*
>  * Copyright (c) 2017 Dmitry Goncharov
>  *
>  * Distributed under the BSD License.
>  * (See accompanying file COPYING).
>  */
> 
> Do i understand it correctly, that in my copy of this new file that
> is assigned to the FSF, i'll remove the copyright part and the header
> becomes
> /*
>  * Distributed under the BSD License.
>  * (See accompanying file COPYING).
>  */
> and whoever is using that library can keep using it under the BSD
> license?

I don't believe that's how it works.

Instead, the version of this file that is provided with GNU Make will
be provided under the GPLv3 and with an FSF copyright, like the rest of
the source code.  But you are free to also use/provide that same
content via some other method (for example in another program) under
the license of your choice (such as BSD), under the clause in the
license agreement I quoted.

So, as Basile suggests, the version of this source file that we commit
to the GNU Make repo would have the standard copyright/license header
that all other source files have, plus if you like an extra note saying
it was contributed by you and, again if you like, a note about where it
came from/what package it was originally developed for: this is not
covered by the guidelines and I have no objection to it.

Cheers!

-- 
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