[antlr-interest] submission of patches, fixes, other contributions

[Loring Craymer]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: antlr-interest-bounces at antlr.org [mailto:antlr-interest-
> bounces at antlr.org] On Behalf Of Terence Parr
> Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2005 12:46 PM
> To: ANTLR Interest
> Subject: [antlr-interest] submission of patches, fixes, other
> contributions
> 
> Howdy,
> 
> In the old days, public domain was the most generous license to use
> for software.  Oddly enough, now it's not good at all.  I think a

Not odd at all.  Try doing a search on "public domain copyright law".  The
legal consensus is that works published after 1978 cannot be made public
domain before 70 years after the last author dies.
[<http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/training/Hirtle_Public_Domain.htm> puts
works between 1978 and 1989 as being transiently in the public domain (until
the author claims copyright), but that is the exception.]

> large company with 3 letters in their name has emailed me like 4
> times from different groups asking if I have a certification from
> every contributor of patches over the last 15 years that they had the
> right to submit the patch and that they granted me a license etc...
> You get the picture.  Basically, nobody wants to use software anymore
> that could include stolen work etc...

It isn't so much stolen work, I suspect, as it is work for which someone
could capriciously decide to sue because they changed their mind about "PD"
status.

> 
> Going forward, I must ask that people submit everything through the
> website, which will track everything and have a "contributor's
> license" agreement etc...  It just asks that you certify you created
> whatever you're sending in and give me license to do whatever I want
> with it.  Here is my tentative language (in the box at the bottom):
> 
> http://www.antlr.org/misc/feedback
> 
> Comments on the language and/or issues?

It doesn't explicitly mention copyright.  I expect the language should state
the the person agreeing is the copyright holder for the contribution.  Also,
talk to your legal people at USF.  You don't have "deep pockets", but USF
does, and you could be exposing the University to potential lawsuits for
employing you.  [Contribution author sues user; user sues USF.]  This is
very murky water; talk to a lawyer.  If the USF lawyers can't give you good
advice, try giving someone on the UCB law faculty a call.

--Loring

> 
> Terence
> --
> CS Professor & Grad Director, University of San Francisco
> Creator, ANTLR Parser Generator, http://www.antlr.org
> Cofounder, http://www.jguru.com