violating a license b4 product release

[mmurphy at collab.net]

> Does the GPL (or any other license) address the
> question of _code acceptance policies_?  Where
> specifically?

I haven't seen many licenses spell that out, as the licenses might be used
multiple places and code acceptance policies could vary from place to place.

However, many *groups* have code acceptance policies, some of which require
signed forms. For example, OpenOffice.org has a joint copyright assignment:

http://www.openoffice.org/contributing.html

as does the Helix DNA community launched by RealNetworks:

https://www.helixcommunity.org/2002/intro/contributor-agreement.pdf

Mozilla has a CVS contributor form:

http://www.mozilla.org/hacking/form.html

Some groups like formal policies, particularly with joint copyright
assignment for greater licensing flexibility. Many other groups don't
bother. Nearly every project still has base policies for accepting code
(e.g., it'd be rather nice if it worked), but those are more tied to the
development process than licensing per se.

Mark Murphy
mmurphy at collab.net



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