Re: [Fsfe-uk] Are GPL projects more likely to evolve faster ?

[Chris Croughton]

On Thu, Feb 05, 2004 at 07:03:33PM +0000, Simon Waters wrote:

> Chris Croughton wrote:
> > 
> > That's one area where I'm dubious as well, why should I assign copyright
> > to anyone else?
> 
> Eben has explained this on the GNU website.
> 
> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-assign.html

Yes, I've read that and it makes sense in the US, but in the UK
registration has never been the norm (is there even a registry?).  I can
understand it for large projects, and indeed if I were to submit code to
an existing project then I would likely be happy to assign the copyright
(either the code would be a small patch and it wouldn't matter to me, or
the fact that I respect the project enough to want to submit a large
amount would mean that I would assign it out of respect).

It doesn't make as much sense for small individual projects to /have/ to
be assigned to the FSF.  To me.

> The FSF has a big fighting fund and it may even help you defend your own
> GPL'ed software, but if your project carries a GNU label it is expected
> you'll assign the rights to them so they can protect it themselves.

I suppose that since the GNU project as a whole is their project that
makes sense.  Does the GPL make similar exceptions for other people's
projects?  As far as I am aware, it doesn't, if (say) Mozilla had a
clause which said that any changes had to be assigned to them my
impression is that such a clause would make it 'un-free' by GPL
standards.  I would be happy to be wrong, however.

> I think the issue only arises if you intend to release the same code
> under a different licence in which case you might not want to assign
> copyright to the FSF, but you probably don't want to make such code a
> GNU project in the first place.

There's lots of stuff released under the GPL and other licences at the
same time which would seem to be excluded in that way, whether it wants
to or not.  But basically, it's up to the author, obviously plenty of
people are happy with it, I'm just explaining why I'm not...

Chris C