Who to query about copyright assignment practices?

[Mike Stump]

On Tuesday, February 25, 2003, at 07:14 PM, Kumar Gala wrote:
> I was wondering who would be the best person to interact with to 
> understand what is the correct method that Motorola needs to interact 
> with the FSF GCC community with regards to work we want to donate and 
> develop.

The copyright assignment on file should set up the conditions under 
which you can assign copyright.  You then need to follow these 
conditions for for assignment for work you wish to be included in gcc.  
The gcc community can't act as a gatekeeper for those conditions in 
general.  If the FSF accepts the assignment terms, you're set.  If not, 
you will have to discuss it with them, as we don't have any say (nor 
should we) in those matters.

For example, when I was setting up blanket assignments for my last 
company, I set it up to assign only work submitted to the FSF by us.  
This way, work we did, that we didn't submit wasn't covered by the 
assignment.  We had all the control we needed.  It was simple and 
effective.  We submit to the FSF, the work is assigned, we don't and it 
isn't.  If someone else submitted our work, we could object and have it 
blocked, or removed if it were already in and we didn't wish it to be 
in.

Since you didn't elaborate on the nature of the requirements, I cannot 
comment on them directly.  I think there isn't anybody that can step 
forward here and do as you wish.  The SC would be the closest, but, I'm 
nervous having them grant or dispense judgment.  I think all legally 
binding decisions or discussions that are meant to have legal weight 
must be done with the FSF directly; if they appoint the gcc SC to act 
on their behalf, then they gcc SC can.  I don't think the FSF has so 
granted the SC.

If the requirements are upon us, rather than you, well, I'd be 
surprised that the FSF would accept such an assignment.  In general, 
I'd probably urge them not to.

If you need help understanding the requirements in your assignment, you 
should seek your own counsel.  If you cannot make enough sense of it, 
write up a new assignment that is perfectly clear to you, acceptable by 
VP level person and the FSF and submit it to replace the current 
assignment.

If you'd like to discuss this off list, you can contact me directly.  
If you want, you're free to discuss it here as well.