From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: The copyright issue Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:07:45 -0400 Message-ID: References: <19546.32875.515000.117266@gargle.gargle.HOWL> <19549.44879.848292.639521@rgr.rgrjr.com> <19549.49818.270000.981978@gargle.gargle.HOWL> <19549.61887.613440.141458@rgr.rgrjr.com> <8762zkl259.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> <87aaow8a0p.fsf@lola.goethe.zz> <87y6cgjg45.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> <87lj8d6bl5.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15 X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1281575277 2334 80.91.229.12 (12 Aug 2010 01:07:57 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 01:07:57 +0000 (UTC) Cc: dak@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: "Stephen J. Turnbull" Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Aug 12 03:07:53 2010 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OjMGu-0004fQ-FD for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:07:52 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:58140 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1OjMGu-0005wW-0l for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:07:52 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=49636 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1OjMGp-0005wH-4j for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:07:47 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1OjMGo-0002m0-4U for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:07:46 -0400 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([140.186.70.10]:39036) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1OjMGn-0002lv-Sr for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:07:46 -0400 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1OjMGn-0005ZB-AO; Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:07:45 -0400 In-reply-to: <87lj8d6bl5.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> (stephen@xemacs.org) X-detected-operating-system: by monty-python.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6 (newer, 3) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:128570 Archived-At: Exactly. So the FSF (more precisely, the project) ends up bearing the cost in any case. Not necessarily in all possible cass. If we were actually sued, and it turned out the contributor was at fault, we might insist he should pay the costs. But it is unlikely things would go that far. Normally, if we got a complaint, we would recheck the facts. If at that point the contributor proved to be at fault, we would remove his code. Most likely the complainant would be satisfied and would not sue. Anyway, the main reason for the assignments is not that. It is to keep the copyright status simple. I think what really causes people to think about it is when they hand the disclaimer to their boss and the boss says "I'll have to run this past corporate legal." Indeed, the fact that this makes people think about the question is very useful in avoiding misunderstandings.