Contribution agreements (Re: [sldev] What is the point offirstlook and giving feedback to LL)

[Matthew Dowd]

> I think this is where I was (perhaps am) confused. As far as I know, the > commercial license that Electric Sheep has to produce the onrez SL > viewer for use by CSI-NY allows them to use any GPLed components of the > LL GPLed viewer that they like. 
 
As I understand Richard's criterion, is that Richard wants the contribution agreement to ensure that if LL takes a contribution, that contribution *must* be included in *at least one* release of the open source/free viewer.
 
The agreement will (as now) give LL the right to include that contribution in a closed source/commercial viewer, but also (as now) give LL the right not to include the contribution.
 
Also (as now), LL has the right not to include the contribution in future versions (either closedsource/commercial or free/opensource),
 
but if LL includes the contribution in any version (closedsource/commercial or free/opensource or whatever), at least one (and possible only one) of the free/opensource released must include it.
 
This of course doesn't stop LL entering into a special agreement with a programmer if they really want a contribution in a closedsource viewer, which they don't want ever to appear in the opensource/free one, and if the contributor is happy with that.
 
In theory, LL could include a contribution for just one release and then immediately roll the contribution back on in the next release just to get around this, but I can't really see a real life scenario where there would be any advantage for them to do this which would sufficient offset the loss of trust from the opensource community which doing this would cause!
 
Matthew
 
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