# HG changeset patch # User Glenn Morris # Date 1169952686 0 # Node ID 34448acdaf7e4036e7506c63cc09c4ccd72bea23 # Parent 7abc34743368c26a16d0b95140e7b259d704ca4c Initial version. diff -r 7abc34743368 -r 34448acdaf7e admin/notes/copyright --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/admin/notes/copyright Sun Jan 28 02:51:26 2007 +0000 @@ -0,0 +1,196 @@ +NOTES ON COPYRIGHTS AND LICENSES + +Some terminology: + +A "copyright notice" consists of one or a few lines of this format: +"Copyright (C) 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc." + +A "license notice" is a statement of permissions, and is usually much +longer, eg the text "GNU Emacs is free software...". + + +Every non-trivial file distributed through the Emacs CVS should be +self-explanatory in terms of copyright and license. This includes +files that are not distributed in Emacs releases (for example, the +admin/ directory), because the whole Emacs CVS is publicly +available. + +The definition of triviality is a little vague, but a rule of thumb is +that any file with less than 15 lines of actual content is trivial. If +a file is auto-generated (eg ldefs-boot.el) from another one in the +CVS, then it does not really matter about adding a copyright statement +to the generated file. + +The years in the copyright notice should be updated every year (see +file "years" in this directory). The PS versions of refcards etc +should display copyright notices (an exception to the rule about +"generated" files), but these can just display the latest year. The +full list of years should be kept in comments in the source file. If +these are distributed in CVS, check in a regenerated version when the +tex files are updated. + +Copyright changes should be propagated to any associated repositories +(eg Gnus, MH-E), but I think in every case this happens automatically +(?). + +All README (and other such text files) that are non-trivial and were +added by Emacs developers need copyright and copying permission +statements (see eg INSTALL in the top-level directory). + +All images files that allow for comments should have copyright and +license statements. Whether or not this is possible, the information +should be recorded in a README file in each directory with images. + +When installing a file with an "unusual" license (after checking first +it is ok), put a copy of the copyright and license in the file (if +possible. It's ok if this makes the file incompatible with its +original format, if it can still be used by Emacs), or in a README +file in the relevant directory. + +The vast majority of files are copyright FSF and distributed under the +GPL. A few files (mainly related to language and charset support) are +copyright AIST alone, or both AIST and FSF. (Contact Kenichi Handa +with questions about legal issues in such files.) In all these cases, +the copyright years in each file should be updated each year. + +There are some exceptions to the points in the previous paragraph, and +these are listed below for reference, together with any files where +the copyright needs to be updated in "unusual" ways. + +If you find any other such cases, please consult to check they are ok, +and note them in this file. This includes missing copyright notices, +and "odd" copyright holders. In most cases, individual authors should +not appear in copyright statements. Either the copyright has been +assigned (check copyright.list) to the FSF (in which case the original +author should be removed and the year(s) transferred to the FSF); or +else it is possible the file should not be in Emacs at all (please +report!). + +[For reference, most of these points were established via email with +rms, 2007/1, "Copyright years".] + + +/install-sh +lispintro/install-sh + - this file is copyright MIT, which is OK. Leave the copyright alone. + +etc/edt-user.doc + - update BOTH notices in this file + +leim/CXTERM-DIC/4Corner.tit, ARRAY30.tit, [CCDOSPY.tit], ECDICT.tit, +ETZY.tit, [PY-b5.tit], Punct-b5.tit, Punct.tit, QJ-b5.tit, QJ.tit, +[SW.tit, TONEPY.tit,] ZOZY.tit + - leave the copyrights alone. + +leim/MISC-DIC/CTLau-b5.html, CTLau.html, cangjie-table.b5, cangjie-table.cns, +[pinyin.map, ziranma.cin] + - leave the copyright alone. + +leim/SKK-DIC/SKK-JISYO.L +ja-dic/ja-dic.el + (the latter is auto-generated from the former). Leave the copyright alone. + +lib-src/etags.c + - this has a copyright Ken Arnold. We are still deciding what should + be done here (see below). + +lib-src/getopt1.c, getopt_int.h + - these are from the GNU C library. Leave the copyrights alone. + +lispref/doclicense.texi +man/doclicense.texi + - leave the copyright alone in this imported file. + +lisp/net/tramp.el + - there are also copyrights in the body of the file. Update these too. + +msdos/is_exec.c, sigaction.c + - these files are copyright DJ Delorie. Leave the copyrights alone. + +src/gmalloc.c + - contains numerous copyrights from the GNU C library. Leave them alone. + + +*** These are copyright issues still to be addressed: + + +All README (and other such files) that are non-trivial and were added +by Emacs developers need copyright statements and copying permissions +to be added. + + +All images files that allow for comments should have copyright and +license statements added. Whether or not this is possible, the +information should be recorded in a README file in each directory with +images. + + +admin/check-doc-strings + Author is Martin Buchholz, but no assignment from him on file, and + rms has no way to reach him. +admin/make-announcement - no copyright +admin/nt/makedist.bat - no copyright +etc/ms-kermit - no copyright, but ms-7bkermit has one +etc/e/eterm-color.ti - no copyright + rms: "I think that is not copyrightable under the merger doctrine + because the entries are all forced. At least that is the case in the + US; I am not sure whether we can rely on that in general." + +For the above files, mail sent froam rms to Matthew (Martin?) Norwood +asking what to do (via Eben Moglen), 2007/1/22 ("Copyright years"). + + +etc/gnus-refcard.tex + I (rgm) think the "Gnus Bugfixing Girls + Boys" copyright should + probably be removed, but it may be ok (waiting for rms) + + +etc/orgcard.tex - no Rooke in copyright.list + rms will talk with Org mode author about this. + + +etc/sk-refcard.ps, pl-refcard.ps, cs-refcard.ps +These refcards need to be regenerated (by those with suitable TeX +setups) to get updated copyrights. + + +leim/CXTERM-DIC/CCDOSPY.tit, PY-b5.tit, SW.tit, TONEPY.tit +leim/MISC-DIC/pinyin.map, ziranma.cin + The copyright and license is stated in the README file, but we may as + well copy them into the files themselves (possibly at the expense of + making them incompatible with their original formats, but they will + still be usable by Emacs). [Kenichi Handa] + + +lib-src/etags.c - no 'k.* arnold' in copyright.list' + rms: "That is ok, in principle. I used free code released by Ken + Arnold as the starting point. However, it may be that we need to get + and insert whatever his license was for his code." + + +lwlib/lwlib-int.h, lwlib.h - no copyright +lwlib/Makefile.in, lwlib-utils.c, lwlib.c - copyright Lucid +lwlib/lwlib-Xaw.c - copyright Chuck Thompson +lwlib/lwlib.c - copyright Lucid, but FSF copyright was added in 2002 - + was that correct? + rms: "I asked Matthew Norwood about these, I believe." + + +msdos/ + - do we need to add COPYING.LIB (because COPYING.DJ refers to it)? + + +oldXMenu/ + - should there be any FSF copyrights at all in here? Some were added + in 2005, without licence notices. Was this right? +oldXMenu/Makefile.in, Makefile, Imakefile, descrip.mms, insque.c + - issues described in mail to rms, 2006/12/17. +rms: "I have asked for lawyer's advice about these." + + +src/acldef.h, chpdef.h, gnu.h, ndir.h +src/m/mips4.h, news-r6.h, news-risc.h, pmax.h +src/s/aix3-2.h, bsd386.h, hpux8.h, hpux9.h, irix4-0.h, irix5-0.h, +isc2-2.h, netbsd.h, osf1.h, sol2-3.h, sunos4-0.h, umips.h, usg5-4-2.h + - all these (not obviously trivial) files are missing copyrights. + rms: "I should talk about these with Matthew Norwood."