Summary for the impatient:
-1. Don't add a file to Emacs written by someone other than yourself
-without thinking about the legal aspect (make sure they have an
-assignment, adjust the copyright statements in the file). NB the
-ChangeLog entry should be in the name of the author of the code, not
-the person who installs it.
-
-2. With images, add the legal info to a README file in the directory
+1. Don't add code to Emacs written by someone other than yourself
+without thinking about the legal aspect. Even if the changes are
+trivial, consider if they combine with previous changes by the same
+author to make a non-trivial total. If so, make sure they have an
+assignment. If adding a whole file adjust the copyright statements in
+the file.
+
+2. When installing code written by someone else, the ChangeLog entry
+should be in the name of the author of the code, not the person who
+installs it. I think it is helpful to put the author (if not yourself)
+in the CVS log as well; and to not install any of your own changes in
+the same commit.
+
+3. With images, add the legal info to a README file in the directory
containing the image.
-3. If you add a lot of text to a previously trivial file that had no
+4. If you add a lot of text to a previously trivial file that had no
legal notices, consider if you should add a copyright statement.
-4. Please don't just add an FSF copyright without checking that is the
+5. Please don't just add an FSF copyright without checking that is the
right thing to do.
consider whether your changes have made the file worthy of a copyright
notice, and if so, please add one.
+It can be helpful to put a reminder comment at the start of a trivial
+file, eg: "add a license notice if this grows to > 10 lines of code".
+
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
mac/src/Emacs.r # resource 'vers'
src/emacs.c
- remember to change the latest copyright year in the --version output.
- [Post-release, will automate this like set-version does for version.]
+ `set-copyright' in admin.el will do all the above.
<top-level>/install-sh
lispintro/install-sh
src/m/news-r6.h
public domain, leave alone.
+etc/BABYL, ms-kermit
+ no notices (see below).
+
etc/edt-user.doc
- update BOTH notices in this file
etc/emacs.csh
- - keep simple license for this simple file
+ - written by Michael DeCorte, who has no assignment. But trivial
+ enough to not need license.
+
+etc/future-bug
+ - doesn't need a humourless disclaimer, because Karl Fogel says we
+ can consider it part of Emacs, and he has a blanker disclaimer for
+ Emacs changes. (email to rgm "[Emacs-commit] emacs/etc future-bug",
+ 2007028)
etc/letter.pbm,letter.xpm
- trivial, no notice needed.
licenses that they have. They are distributed with Emacs but they
are not part of Emacs."
+etc/HELLO
+ standard notices. Just a note that although the file itself is not
+ really copyrightable, in the wider context of it being part of
+ Emacs (and written by those with assignments), a standard notice is
+ fine.
+
etc/MAILINGLISTS
rms: simple license is fine for this file
leim/MISC-DIC/CTLau-b5.html, CTLau.html, cangjie-table.b5, cangjie-table.cns,
pinyin.map, ziranma.cin
- leave the copyright alone.
+Note that pinyin.map, ziranma.cin (and hence the generated
+leim/quail/PY.el, ZIRANMA.el) are under GPLv1 or later.
leim/SKK-DIC/SKK-JISYO.L
ja-dic/ja-dic.el
Accordingly, in Feb 2007 we added a 1984 copyright for the
University of California and a revised BSD license. The terms of
this require that the full license details be available in binary
- distributions - hence the file etc/ETAGS.README.
+ distributions - hence the file etc/ETAGS.README. The fact that the
+ --version output just says "Copyright <year> FSF" is apparently OK
+ from a legal point of view.
lib-src/getopt1.c, getopt_int.h
- these are from the GNU C library. Leave the copyrights alone.
the concept.
rms: "My understanding is that game rules as such are not copyrightable."
<http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-01/msg00960.html>
+ rms: Legal advice is that we are ok and need not worry about this.
lispref/doclicense.texi
man/doclicense.texi
rms (2007/02/17): "lwlib is not assigned to the FSF; we don't consider
it part of Emacs. [...] Therefore non-FSF copyrights are ok in lwlib."
+NB don't change the GPL version used for lwlib .c and .h files (see
+below).
+
FSF copyrights should only appear in files which have undergone
non-trivial cumulative changes from the original versions in the Lucid
Widget Library. NB this means that if you make non-trivial changes to
As of Feb 2007, the following files are considered too trivial for
notices: lwlib-Xaw.h, lwlib-Xlw.h, lwlib-utils.h.
+The version of lwlib/ first installed in Emacs seems to be the same as
+that used in Lucid Emacs 19.8 (released 6-sep-93); except the two Xaw
+files, which did not appear till Athena support was added in Lucid
+Emacs 19.9. In Lucid Emacs 19.1, all files were under GPLv1 or later,
+but by Lucid Emacs 19.8, lwlib.c and xlwmenu.c had been switched to v2
+or later. These are the versions that were first installed in Emacs.
+So in GNU Emacs, these two files have been under v2 or later since
+1994.
+
+It seems that it was the intention of Lucid to use v1 or later
+(excepting the two files mentioned previously); so this is the license
+we have used when adding notices to code that did not have notices
+originally. Although we have the legal right to switch to v2 or later,
+rms prefers that we do not do so.
+
+
+man/*.texi - All manuals should be under GFDL, and should include a
+copy of it, so that they can be distributed separately. faq.texi has
+a different license, for some reason no-one can remember.
+http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-04/msg00583.html
+http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-04/msg00618.html
+
-msdos/is_exec.c, sigaction.c
- - these files are copyright DJ Delorie. Leave the copyrights alone.
- Leave the Eli Zaretskii copyright in is_exec.c alone. See the
- msdos/README file for the legal history of these files.
+msdos/is_exec.c, sigaction.c - these files are copyright DJ Delorie.
+Leave the copyrights alone. Leave the Eli Zaretskii copyright in
+is_exec.c alone. See the msdos/README file for the legal history of
+these files.
oldXMenu/
- see comments below. These files are OK to be released with Emacs
22, but we may want to revisit them afterwards.
-[src/unexhp9k800.c - removed 2007/1/27]
-[src/m/sr2k.h - removed 2007/1/27]
- - First file removed due to legal uncertainties; second file removed
- due to dependency on first. Note that src/m/hp800.h is still needed on
- hp800 arch.
- NB we would like to re-add this file if we can. Please let us know
- if you can clarify its legal status.
-
** Some notes on resolved issues, for historical information only
+etc/TERMS
+rms: "surely written either by me or by ESR. (If you can figure out
+which year, I can probably tell you which.) Either way, we have papers
+for it." It was present in Emacs-16.56 (15-jul-85). rms: "Then I
+conclude it was written by me."
+
+etc/ulimit.hack
+ Very obsolete file removed March 2007. Doesn't say who the author
+is, but web-search suggests Karl Kleinpaste, who has no Emacs
+assignment. Trivial anyway.
+http://groups.google.com/group/comp.unix.shell/browse_thread/thread/bf3df496994\
+9f1df/7e5922c67b3a98fb
+http://groups.google.com/group/comp.unix.questions/msg/cc7e49cacfd1ccb4
+ (original 1987 source)
+
lisp/term/README
- had no copyright notice till Feb 2007. ChangeLog.3 suggests it was
written by Eric Raymond. When asked by rms on 14 Feb 2007 he said:
Accordingly, FSF copyright was added.
+src/unexhp9k800.c (and dependent src/m/sr2k.h)
+ http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-02/msg00138.html
+ - briefly removed due to legal uncertainly Jan-Mar 2007. The
+ relevant assignment is under "hp9k800" in copyright.list. File was
+ written by John V. Morris at HP, and disclaimed by the author and
+ HP. So this file is public domain.
+
+
+K Rodgers changes
+ It was pointed out that K Rodgers only had assigments for VC and
+ ps-print, but had changed several other files. We tried to contact
+ him for a general assignment, but he proved uncommunicative (despite
+ initially indicating to rms he would sign an assignment). As a result, his
+ changes were removed and/or rewritten independently. For details, see
+ threads:
+http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-04/msg00225.html
+http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-04/msg00257.html
+
+ But then an assignment arrived before the release of Emacs 22:
+http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-04/msg01427.html
+
+
+lisp/progmodes/python.el
+Dave Love alerted us to a potential legal problem:
+http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-pretest-bug/2007-04/msg00459.html
+
+On consultation with a lawyer, we found there was no problem:
+http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-05/msg00466.html
+
** Issues that are "fixed" for the release of Emacs 22, but we may
wish to revisit later in more detail
admin/check-doc-strings
File says it's in the public domain, but that might not make it so.
+etc/BABYL
+ File written long ago by authors with no assignment. Keep them
+ without notices for now, try and contact authors if possible. Be
+ ready to remove these files if the authors ever object.
+etc/ms-kermit
etc/e/eterm-color.ti
src/acldef.h, chpdef.h, ndir.h
On legal advice from Matt Norwood, the following comment was added
- to these files in Feb 2007:
+ to these files in Feb/Mar 2007:
The code here is forced by the interface, and is not subject to
copyright, constituting the only possible expression of the
and possibly add a list of all authors who have changed these files.
(details in email from Matt Norwood to rms, 2007/02/03).
+etc/ms-7bkermit
+ Says it was written by Andy Lowry and Joel Spolsky. No entry for
+either in copyright.list. NB this file is not "constrained" like
+ms-kermit (rms: "We know it isn't. A comment at the front says it has
+other bindings which might be handy."). File removed March 2007.
+Re-add if clear up status at some point.
+
+etc/Xkeymap.txt
+ No info on author. File removed March 2007. rms: "It says it is
+RLK's way of remapping his keyboard, so it is not constrained. I think
+it was written by RLK. Let's delete it; if we contact RLK again, we
+can put it back." Actually, RLK == Robert Krawitz has an Emacs
+assignment. So this could be restored if it is still useful, but Jan Djärv
+says it is obsolete:
+<http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-03/msg00673.html>
src/m/mips4.h, news-risc.h, pmax.h
src/s/aix3-2.h, bsd386.h, hpux8.h, hpux9.h, irix4-0.h, irix5-0.h,
Emacs 22 is released (though if they can be fixed before, that is
obviously good):
-Maybe some relevant comments here?
-<http://groups.google.com/group/linux.debian.legal/browse_thread/thread/123547ea95437a1f>
-
Is it OK to just `cvs remove' a file for legal reasons, or is
something more drastic needed? A removed file is still available from
noted in this file.
-etc/BABYL
- File says it was written in 1983 by Eugene Ciccarelli, who has no
- assignment. RMS: "The lawyer said we can keep BABYL."
-
-
REMOVED etc/gnu.xpm, nt/icons/emacs21.ico, nt/icons/sink.ico
- Restore if find legal info. emacs21.ico is not due to Davenport.
- Voelker could not immediately recall anything, but will check and
- let us know if he finds anything.
+ Geoff Voelker checked but could not find a record of where it came
+ from.
etc/images
contact image authors in regards to future switch to v3.
-REMOVED src/unexhp9k800.c
- - we would like to re-add this file if possible. Please let us know
- if you can clarify its legal status.
- http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2007-02/msg00138.html
-
-
-*** These are copyright issues still to be addressed:
-
-NB apart from switching the TUTORIALs to GPL, I think there is nothing
-here that anyone can work on without further input from rms.
-
-
-etc/gnus-logo.eps, gnus-booklet.ps, gnus-refcard.ps
- just to be safe, papers are on the way for the "Gnus logo", even
- though it is very similar to the already-assigned "Emacs logo".
-
-
-etc/ms-kermit - no copyright, but ms-7bkermit has one
-
-
etc/TUTORIAL* (translations)
switch to GPL (see english TUTORIAL)
rms: "We can leave the TUTORIAL translations alone until their
Done: TUTORIAL.eo
+*** These are copyright issues still to be addressed:
+
+None known.
+
+
\f
This file is part of GNU Emacs.