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

[Harold Brown]

This arguement about the contribution agreement is getting kinda
stupid at this point.

If you don't want to sign it then don't, just don't bitch because LL
isn't accepting your patches.


I've done some writing in the past and submitted things to be
published in magazines, the LL contribution agreement isn't much
different then the contract you would have to sign with a magazine
publisher when they publish an article you wrote.  Depending on the
publisher they will ask for various "rights", you yourself retain full
rights to your work.  And the publisher gets the rights they
specified. Generally that would be the "North American Distribution
Rights"

That's exactly what the Contribution Agreement with Linden Lab is.
You are giving them rights to the code you submit, but you are not
giving up any rights you have over that code.  You can publish it,
give it away, use it in your own programs, whatever you want.

All the complaints boil down to one thing:  "Oh noes... Linden Lab may
make money from licensing a closed source viewer that used my
contribution"

As of right now we know of exactly one closed source license deal that
LL has made.  And I'm pretty sure they didn't get metric tons of cash
for that license.  Honestly they probably made more from selling 10
private islands then they got from ESC for the license.