Re: Contributor Clauses in Licenses

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Josh, all of the things that you are talking about with regard to
documentation would also be creating derivative works of the documentation,
and what happened would depend on the license applied to the documentation.
Software is text, copyright isn't a special thing for software rather than
other forms of text.

Bruce Perens K6BP

On Mon, Dec 8, 2025, 16:07 Josh Berkus <[email protected]> wrote:

> On 12/8/25 3:43 PM, Pamela Chestek wrote:
> > As to Josh's comment "No text contained within the license can enforce
> > that my PR is under that license," I disagree. When I created my
> > contribution I necessarily accepted the terms of the outbound license,
> > or at least I am hard-pressed to think of a way that someone made a
> > contribution that matters but would not have taken an action that
> > requires acceptance of the license.
>
> I can think of lots of ways to make a meaningful contribution without
> having either run or redistributed the software:
>
> - Someone contributing grammar corrections to the docs or website
> without using the software
>
> - Someone offering to naturalize the documentation based on a
> translation framework, which also doesn't require using the software
>
> - Someone building a code contribution based on a differently licensed
> version of the same software (if, for example, it's available under a
> proprietary license as well)
>
> - Someone submitting 3rd-party dependency version updates without
> running the software (like, for example, DependaBot does, and humans do
> this as well).
>
> - A graphics designer submitting a change to graphics or UI design
> created entirely with design programs.
>
> I'm sure there's other situations I haven't thought of.  Are most
> contributions based on the contributor having first downloaded and run
> the software under the license?  Sure.  But definitely not all of them.
>
> --
> Josh Berkus
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> The opinions expressed in this email are those of the sender and not
> necessarily those of the Open Source Initiative. Official statements by the
> Open Source Initiative will be sent from an opensource.org email address.
>
> License-discuss mailing list
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>
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>

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<div dir=3D"auto"><div>Josh, all of the things that you are talking about w=
ith regard to documentation would also be creating derivative works of the =
documentation, and what happened would depend on the license applied to the=
 documentation. Software is text, copyright isn&#39;t a special thing for s=
oftware rather than other forms of text.</div><div><br></div><div data-smar=
tmail=3D"gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Bruce Pere=
ns K6BP</div></div></div></div></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_qu=
ote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Mon, Dec 8, 2025, 1=
6:07 Josh Berkus &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>=
&gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 =
0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">On 12/8/25 3:43 PM, Pam=
ela Chestek wrote:<br>
&gt; As to Josh&#39;s comment &quot;No text contained within the license ca=
n enforce <br>
&gt; that my PR is under that license,&quot; I disagree. When I created my =
<br>
&gt; contribution I necessarily accepted the terms of the outbound license,=
 <br>
&gt; or at least I am hard-pressed to think of a way that someone made a <b=
r>
&gt; contribution that matters but would not have taken an action that <br>
&gt; requires acceptance of the license.<br>
<br>
I can think of lots of ways to make a meaningful contribution without <br>
having either run or redistributed the software:<br>
<br>
- Someone contributing grammar corrections to the docs or website <br>
without using the software<br>
<br>
- Someone offering to naturalize the documentation based on a <br>
translation framework, which also doesn&#39;t require using the software<br=
>
<br>
- Someone building a code contribution based on a differently licensed <br>
version of the same software (if, for example, it&#39;s available under a <=
br>
proprietary license as well)<br>
<br>
- Someone submitting 3rd-party dependency version updates without <br>
running the software (like, for example, DependaBot does, and humans do <br=
>
this as well).<br>
<br>
- A graphics designer submitting a change to graphics or UI design <br>
created entirely with design programs.<br>
<br>
I&#39;m sure there&#39;s other situations I haven&#39;t thought of.=C2=A0 A=
re most <br>
contributions based on the contributor having first downloaded and run <br>
the software under the license?=C2=A0 Sure.=C2=A0 But definitely not all of=
 them.<br>
<br>
-- <br>
Josh Berkus<br>
<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
The opinions expressed in this email are those of the sender and not necess=
arily those of the Open Source Initiative. Official statements by the Open =
Source Initiative will be sent from an <a href=3D"http://opensource.org" re=
l=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">opensource.org</a> email addr=
ess.<br>
<br>
License-discuss mailing list<br>
<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank" r=
el=3D"noreferrer">[email protected]</a><br>
<a href=3D"http://lists.opensource.org/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss_lis=
ts.opensource.org" rel=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">http://l=
ists.opensource.org/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org</=
a><br>
</blockquote></div>

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