From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Bill Wohler Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Incorporating patches into GNU Emacs Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 23:40:56 -0700 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: <200304180640.h3I6euwV028582@gbr.newt.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1050648075 13910 80.91.224.249 (18 Apr 2003 06:41:15 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 06:41:15 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Fri Apr 18 08:41:13 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 196PYf-0003cA-00 for ; Fri, 18 Apr 2003 08:41:13 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.12 #1 (Debian)) id 196Pbq-00082J-00 for ; Fri, 18 Apr 2003 08:44:31 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 196PYk-0003io-0A for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2003 02:41:18 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.10.13) id 196PYb-0003d0-00 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2003 02:41:09 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.10.13) id 196PYZ-0003cp-00 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2003 02:41:08 -0400 Original-Received: from adsl-63-205-67-50.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net ([63.205.67.50] helo=gbr.newt.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 196PYQ-0003Ej-00 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 18 Apr 2003 02:40:58 -0400 Original-Received: from newt.com (wohler@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by gbr.newt.com (8.12.8/8.12.8/Debian-2) with ESMTP id h3I6euwV028582 for ; Thu, 17 Apr 2003 23:40:57 -0700 Original-To: Emacs Devel X-Mailer: MH-E 7.2+cvs; nmh 1.0.4+dev; GNU Emacs 21.2.1 X-Face: "5k'?Iz]8K@!MNcM~N?&Uw3~UkuQ+b^{)ecyVaJlgKxZsT76xpl+W$/c9RtY/Y6sz>Gg)!b>}74-9nWJC&ajPue}*aD@s"?sQ6;P]M|q1^@We1p_T(A.u[0>+]Ez|;`.biir|K7$UQS=8rxc)`O^~DJs-a7p7XENI_7c]
  • List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Archive: List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:13277 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:13277 Steve Youngs writes: > |--==> "BW" == Bill Wohler writes: > > BW> So someone sends you a cool patch to put into Emacs. You've > BW> signed the copyright assignment papers and can check code into > BW> Emacs; they have not and can not. > > BW> Can you simply incorporate their patch and give them credit in > BW> the ChangeLog? > > The way I understand it, no. > > The author of the original code needs to assign the copyright to the > FSF. For various reasons, the FSF _must_ hold the copyright on every > single line of code it distributes. You can't assign a copyright that > you have no legal right to. Only the guy with the cool patch, or > possibly his employer can do that. And just because you incorporate > his code into your own doesn't alter the fact that you don't hold the > copyright to that code. > > You could also quite possibly be breaching cool patch author's > copyright. But that's highly unlikely if he has sent you the patch, > although his employer might have a claim on it. Strictly speaking, you're probably right. Still, I find it hard to believe that a) every Emacs user on the planet has submitted papers to the FSF or b) no patches have been incorporated into Emacs from folks who haven't submitted papers. Where's the middle ground? -- Bill Wohler http://www.newt.com/wohler/ GnuPG ID:610BD9AD Maintainer of comp.mail.mh FAQ and MH-E. Vote Libertarian! If you're passed on the right, you're in the wrong lane.