4 ms·

Looks like this: https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html Kind of weird, couldn't they use a CLA?

by foota 3y ago

jraph 3y ago
It's not enough to guarantee the code has not been copied from somewhere / can be released in the public domain. The only way to have this guarantee is to write it yourself.
- foota 3y ago
  I suppose that's true, but that's no different from any other project, no? If I write a contribution to React that wasn't actually mine, it doesn't matter that it's just open source and not being released into the public domain, it's still a violation of the real author's copyright. So if they've chosen a different risk model than essentially every other company doing open source software then that's up to them, but I'm not sure the need for it follows from it being public domain?
  - jraph 3y ago
    > I'm not sure the need for it follows from it being public domain? There's something specific about the public domain that in many places, you can't just decide to release something in the public domain. I guess that's why they actually accept contribution but require an affidavit dedicating the contribution into the public domain. IIUC an affidavit specifically needs to be witnessed by taker of oaths, which probably ensures that the work can indeed be put in public domain. Not sure it's the whole story, or even the main reason, or the correct analyze, though.
    - foota 3y ago
      Ah, it sounds like there are a variety of laws throughout the world. It does sound like the US recently moved to allow digital signatures for this and related purposes though. See https://scarincihollenbeck.com/law-firm-insights/copyright-office-electronic-signatures https://scarincihollenbeck.com/law-firm-insights/copyright-o...
- sgbeal 3y ago
  > It's not enough to guarantee the code has not been copied from somewhere / can be released in the public domain. FWIW, within the sqlite project we have a very strict policy against copy/paste of anything from outside sources. If we don't write it ourselves, it doesn't get added to the canonical source tree, no exceptions.
est31 3y ago
A CLA only covers the things you wrote, and while you ensure in the CLA that you only contribute things you wrote and are allowed to license to them, it is possible that you lie, so there is the danger (although a small one), that contributors might upload proprietary code written by others. IANAL

Looks like this: https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html Kind of weird, couldn't they use a CLA?

by foota 3y ago

Looks like this: https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html Kind of weird, couldn't they use a CLA?

jraph 3y ago

It's not enough to guarantee the code has not been copied from somewhere / can be released in the public domain. The only way to have this guarantee is to write it yourself.

foota 3y ago
I suppose that's true, but that's no different from any other project, no? If I write a contribution to React that wasn't actually mine, it doesn't matter that it's just open source and not being released into the public domain, it's still a violation of the real author's copyright. So if they've chosen a different risk model than essentially every other company doing open source software then that's up to them, but I'm not sure the need for it follows from it being public domain?
- jraph 3y ago
  > I'm not sure the need for it follows from it being public domain? There's something specific about the public domain that in many places, you can't just decide to release something in the public domain. I guess that's why they actually accept contribution but require an affidavit dedicating the contribution into the public domain. IIUC an affidavit specifically needs to be witnessed by taker of oaths, which probably ensures that the work can indeed be put in public domain. Not sure it's the whole story, or even the main reason, or the correct analyze, though.
  - foota 3y ago
    Ah, it sounds like there are a variety of laws throughout the world. It does sound like the US recently moved to allow digital signatures for this and related purposes though. See https://scarincihollenbeck.com/law-firm-insights/copyright-office-electronic-signatures https://scarincihollenbeck.com/law-firm-insights/copyright-o...
sgbeal 3y ago
> It's not enough to guarantee the code has not been copied from somewhere / can be released in the public domain. FWIW, within the sqlite project we have a very strict policy against copy/paste of anything from outside sources. If we don't write it ourselves, it doesn't get added to the canonical source tree, no exceptions.

est31 3y ago

A CLA only covers the things you wrote, and while you ensure in the CLA that you only contribute things you wrote and are allowed to license to them, it is possible that you lie, so there is the danger (although a small one), that contributors might upload proprietary code written by others. IANAL