On Thu, Nov 19, 2015 at 5:50 PM, Justin Mclean <jus...@classsoftware.com> wrote:
>> 1. HP donated the Trafodion code to Apache several months ago. We have >> gone through all the legal steps to get the code donated. As part of this >> process we removed all the HP copyrights except for our test files and >> documentation. Do we have to remove all the Copyrights in order to release >> in Apache? > > My understanding If the code was donated to the ASF it’s now copyright the > ASF not HP. The ASF does not require copyright assignment -- instead, contributors such as HP retain the copyright on their contributions, but license them. For contributions under a CLA or SGA, the contributions are licensed to the ASF under terms which allow us to make them available under the ALv2. Contributions not covered by a CLA or SGA are covered under section 5 of the ALv2[1]. The ASF politely requests that contributors remove copyright notices from individual files. There are a variety of reasons for this request[2]. Optionally, a copyright owner who is removing copyright notices from individual source files may put a copyright notice into the NOTICE file. (The copyright owner is not required to add a copyright notice to the NOTICE file, but they may.) The contents of the NOTICE file must be propagated by redistributors under terms described in section 4 of the ALv2[3]. Removing copyright notices does not change the copyright status of a work -- the owner retains copyright even if the notice is removed. The ability to recover damages for copyright infringement is impacted by removing copyright notices, but most people do not concern themselves about that for permissively licensed open source material. Only the copyright owner or their authorized agent may make changes to copyright notices -- it is illegal for anyone else to change them. Removal of copyright notices is generally handled during early incubation under the close supervision of podling Mentors[4]. It may also happen any time there's a contribution of new source files containing copyright notices, but following initial import is typically when we have the most files to deal with. Marvin Humphrey [1] http://apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html#contributions [2] See <http://s.apache.org/JEh> for some of these reasons. The issue gets discussed every couple of years on either general@incubator or legal-discuss@apache. [3] http://apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html#redistribution [4] http://incubator.apache.org/guides/mentor.html#clean-up-best-practice --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: general-unsubscr...@incubator.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: general-h...@incubator.apache.org
