Hey hey,
http://www.apache.org/legal/src-headers.html
NOTICE file
----
* Every Apache distribution should include a NOTICE file in the top
directory, along with the standard LICENSE file.
* The top of each NOTICE file should include the following text,
suitably modified to reflect the product name and year(s) of
distribution of the current and past versions of the product:
Apache [PRODUCT_NAME]
Copyright [yyyy] The Apache Software Foundation
This product includes software developed at
The Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).
* The remainder of the NOTICE file is to be used for required
third-party notices.
* The NOTICE file may also include copyright notices moved from source
files submitted to the ASF."
Source File Headers for Code Developed at the ASF
----
This section refers only to works submitted directly to the ASF by the
copyright owner or owner's agent.
If the source file is submitted with a copyright notice included in
it, the copyright owner (or owner's agent) must either:
* remove such notices, or
* move them to the NOTICE file associated with each applicable project
release, or
* provide written permission for the ASF to make such removal or
relocation of the notices."
(...)
So, IF the person who removed copyright notices was doing so on behalf
of the copyright owner, that's fine and nothing else needs to happen.
BUT IF that is not the case, that person should put those same
copyright notices into the NOTICE file.
I think in this specific case none of our committers are acting on
behalf of HP (working at different companies now and the like), so the
copyright notices should be moved into the NOTICE file. For a
particularly nice example, see
http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/harmony/enhanced/java/trunk/NOTICE
Portions of Apache Harmony were originally developed by
Intel Corporation and are licensed to the Apache Software
Foundation under the "Software Grant and Corporate Contribution
License Agreement" and for which the following copyright notices
apply
(C) Copyright 2005 Intel Corporation
(C) Copyright 2005-2006 Intel Corporation
(C) Copyright 2006 Intel Corporation
I suggest using the above as a template. You can be pretty sure a
whole bunch of lawyers will have looked at that one :-)
On Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 11:01 AM, Andy Seaborne <[email protected]> wrote:
> This has always confused me a bit.
Me too. IANAL. I think the key bit to understand is that copyright
does not need to be claimed in order to be owned. I.e. HP has
copyright on the source code it donated to apache, apache has a
license. You have copyright on your ongoing contributions, apache has
a license. Apache has copyright on the collective work. Other parties
may have some copyrights too that aren't mentioned -- what ultimately
matters is that apache has sufficient rights to license the code to
everyone else.
The NOTICE file should contain those things it legally needs to
contain (i.e. when a LICENSE or a LAW instructs what must be in a
NOTICE...). Apparently, removing copyright notices outright is bad
unless they are "yours", but moving them is "ok". Don't think about it
too much, just apply the policy (above), and move on with your life
:-)
Or, have fun with
http://copyright.gov/title17/92chap4.html
http://copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html
if you want to know more...
cheers,
Leo
