On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 12:47:43PM +1000, Tim Schaub wrote: > Hey- > > I'm interested making simpler the process of collecting & maintaining > contributor agreements. Specifically in the case where a project wishes > to have contributors transfer copyright to OSGeo. > > I recently had the pleasure of "signing" an agreement (copyright > assignment) digitally. I know the rules for what is acceptable probably > vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Does anybody know where a > digital signature suffices? > > Currently, I think the process is that the PSC is responsible for > collecting agreements from contributors. The PSC then sends these > agreements to the OSGeo Secretary. The OSGeo Secretary maintains the > agreements. Not sure how this is working out. > > I wonder if something simpler would be possible. > > Sample copyright assignment form: > http://tinyurl.com/copyright-assignment > > And the records: > http://tinyurl.com/assignments-on-file > > Anybody know if this could be made legitimate? Would OSGeo be amenable > to having things work this way? Is this a pipe dream?
For the record, for CLAs, Google (in getting contributions to their applications/source code) allows digital signing for ICLA contributions, but requires a faxed document for CCLA contributions. I've followed the same basic principle with OpenLayers; accepting emailed ICLA documents, but preferring that CCLAs be mailed or faxed. I don't know if this is based on anything particularly legal, but it seems to be a common thread in most setups -- possibly just because if the copyright is owned by a commercial entity, the risk is higher (Because they can actually afford to sue you), so corporations take a more strict interpretation of their legal requirements. Best Regards, -- Christopher Schmidt Web Developer _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss