[U-Boot] [PATCH v2 5/9] sunxi: generic sun7i build infrastructure.

Wolfgang Denk
2014-03-22T19:31:28Z

Dear Hans de Goede,

In message <532DA872.5000606@redhat.com> you wrote:
>
> No as said before the parts for which we don't have a Signed-off-by
> for falls under b), since we took it from existing code which has clear
> GPLv2+ license headers on each and every file.

Can the code be properly attributed, i. e. does it have proper
Signed-off-by: lines?

> > using your real name (sorry, no pseudonyms or anonymous contributions.)
>
> Right but these are not Signed-off-by lines. Just as I may thank a tester
> in a commit message with just his name because he does not want me to disclose
> his email address, we are attributing people here with just there names.

If these people attributed to the code, we should have their commits
with their respective Signed-off-by: lines.

> Note in some cases we do have email addresses and Ian has said he will add those
> in the next version, but we cannot magically conjure up Signed-off-by's which we
> don't have, and section b) says we don't need to since all the original files
> have a clear GPLv2+ license header.

I don't see this so simple. The code was derived from some earlier
mainline U-Boot version, for which a proper chain of SoBs was in
place. Then the code was modified in some ways by some unknown people
who did not provide their Developer's Certificate of Origin. So what
gives us reason to believe that these modifications can be freely
reused, i. e. that they do not for example violate third party IP
rights?

Section (b) applies for example in cases where an employer has a team
of people working on such tasks, and uses a single contact as
interface to the community, so the original authors are not directly
visible. But unless you contract such work (and make sure fromt he
contract terms that you have the appropriate rights), it is IMO
difficult or impossible to certify the Developer's Certificate of
Origin for modifications done by others - the fact that there was a
license header in the code before is good, but not good enough.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

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