standards: Contributions
1
1 2.2 Accepting Contributions
1 ===========================
1
1 If the program you are working on is copyrighted by the Free Software
1 Foundation, then when someone else sends you a piece of code to add to
1 the program, we need legal papers to use it--just as we asked you to
1 sign papers initially. _Each_ person who makes a nontrivial
1 contribution to a program must sign some sort of legal papers in order
1 for us to have clear title to the program; the main author alone is not
1 enough.
1
1 So, before adding in any contributions from other people, please tell
1 us, so we can arrange to get the papers. Then wait until we tell you
1 that we have received the signed papers, before you actually use the
1 contribution.
1
1 This applies both before you release the program and afterward. If
1 you receive diffs to fix a bug, and they make significant changes, we
1 need legal papers for that change.
1
1 This also applies to comments and documentation files. For copyright
1 law, comments and code are just text. Copyright applies to all kinds of
1 text, so we need legal papers for all kinds.
1
1 We know it is frustrating to ask for legal papers; it's frustrating
1 for us as well. But if you don't wait, you are going out on a limb--for
1 example, what if the contributor's employer won't sign a disclaimer?
1 You might have to take that code out again!
1
1 You don't need papers for changes of a few lines here or there, since
1 they are not significant for copyright purposes. Also, you don't need
1 papers if all you get from the suggestion is some ideas, not actual code
1 which you use. For example, if someone sent you one implementation, but
1 you write a different implementation of the same idea, you don't need to
1 get papers.
1
1 The very worst thing is if you forget to tell us about the other
1 contributor. We could be very embarrassed in court some day as a
1 result.
1
1 We have more detailed advice for maintainers of GNU packages. If you
1 have reached the stage of maintaining a GNU program (whether released or
1 not), please take a look: ⇒(maintain)Legal Matters.
1