permission to use spec files in other projects

[Stephen John Smoogen]

On Jan 2, 2008 10:48 AM, Karsten Wade <kwade at redhat.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 2008-01-02 at 09:42 -0500, Tom "spot" Callaway wrote:
>
> > I don't think that the Fedora Board (or FESCo) can supercede the CLA,
> > which states that original contributions without prior license are
> > covered under the CLA. This is because the CLA is a signed agreement
> > explicitly to cover this case.
>
> +1
>
> Since the topic under question is clearly covered by the CLA, any other
> statement that stands alone or interprets the CLA for the general public
> would be like the Board/FESCo giving legal advice.
>
> If someone doesn't feel that the CLA covers their spec file needs, they
> need to hire their own attorney for legal advice.
>
> What we could consider is making the CLA much more prominent, pointing
> to it as the mortar that holds Fedora together.  Let people then go
> figure out for themselves how that CLA applies to their own legal and
> contributory questions.
>
> After last year's FUDCon, I took the task of writing an interpretation
> of the CLA in plainer language.  When I took it to Legal, the reply was
> clear -- we do not need to provide a second, duplicate document that
> covers the same content as the CLA.  It would be like providing legal
> interpretation for the world.  If we want to make the CLA more clear,
> let's request changes to the document itself, not create a special
> interpretive document.
>

Agree. I think that any clarifications should try to make the core
document clearer. The goal should be readability and clarity.

The one thing that should be asked from Legal is if the license needs
to be listed in part or in whole in the SPEC file. From my point of
view, the SPEC file is not much different from a Python script or
Makefile to create a finished package. Who owns the copyright of the
SPEC file, and what is the usage license of that 'code' is important
for some people. Requiring that this is clear inside the SPEC would be
useful.

Should this go to the main advisory board or the FESCO?


-- 
Stephen J Smoogen. -- CSIRT/Linux System Administrator
How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed
in a naughty world. = Shakespeare. "The Merchant of Venice"