[implementations-list] Fwd: [gnu.org #393190] Dear FSF clerk, here are all my questions about copyright assigment

Sun Feb 1 07:51:55 CET 2009

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jason Spiro <jasonspiro3 at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 1:51 AM
Subject: Re: [gnu.org #393190] Dear FSF clerk, here are all my
questions about  copyright assigment
To: copyright-clerk at fsf.org

On Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 2:28 PM, Donald R Robertson III via RT
<copyright-clerk at fsf.org> wrote:

Hi,

I emailed emacs-devel about getting vimpulse into emacs, as you
suggested.  The subject line of the mail I sent is "What to do so
Vimpulse (Vim emulation plugin) can get into Emacs?".

> Thanks again for your interest. The FSF does not accept assignment
> contracts from the wild

If I may ask -- why not?

> so we don't provide PDFs of those forms.
> Although it is possible to have everyone assign their work now, I
> believe it is our policy to not accept assignments when it isn't clear
> that the work is becoming a part of GNU.

If I may ask this too -- why not?

> In general, even when it is
> just an individual seeking to assign work and they haven't contacted the
> maintainer to see about getting their work accepted, I tell them to
> hold-off on the assignment. Sometimes, if a contributor's work is not
> copyright significant,

OK; how many lines of significant code is usually required for a
contributor's work to be copyright significant?

> we don't need an assignment from them. Other
> times, life gets in the way and the person never ends up contributing.
>
> In any event, it is usually the maintainer of the project who sends
> someone my way looking for an assignment. If you guys haven't already
> signed up at https://savannah.gnu.org, then you definitely should. You
> should talk to them about your project (I'm sure they'd be interested in
> it!) and about your desire to have it included in emacs someday. Even if
> the work isn't ready for inclusion yet, they might see it as a promising
> possibility. That's really the first step and the best step you can take
> in getting your work assigned to the FSF. You'll have to contact them
> anyways at some point in the process, so you might as well get it out of
> the way. Thanks again for your interest, and good luck with your project.

I have contacted them, but through the mailing list, not through
Savannah, since the form you mentioned seems not to be the way to
contact them all.

Cheers,
--
Jason Spiro: software/web developer, packager, trainer, IT consultant.
I support Linux, UNIX, Windows, and more. Contact me to discuss your needs.
+1 (416) 992-3445 / www.jspiro.com

-- 
Jason Spiro: software/web developer, packager, trainer, IT consultant.
I support Linux, UNIX, Windows, and more. Contact me to discuss your needs.
+1 (416) 992-3445 / www.jspiro.com