Hi,
apart from the 'Who controls Postgres' FAQ entry [1], I didn't find
anything about the 'PostgreSQL Global Development Group', nor any
information about how we deal with copyright and its notices. IMO that
makes it harder than necessary to explain to possible (corporate)
contributors how this community project works.
The most relevant thing I've been able to find was a discussion on
advocacy [2], many moons ago.
I'm thus proposing additional FAQ entries along these lines:
Q: Who's the Postgres Global Development Group?
A: A loosely coupled group of individuals and companies who contributed
to the Postgres project. It's not a legal entity of any kind.
Q: Do contributors need to sign a copyright assignment?
A: No, contributors keeps their copyright (as is the case for most
European contries anyway). They simply consider themselves to be part of
the Postgres Global Development Group. (It's not even possible to assign
copyright to PGDG, as it's not a legal entity).
Q: May I add my own copyright notice where appropriate?
A: No, please don't. We like to keep the legal information short and
crisp. Additionally, we've heard that could possibly pose problems for
corporate users.
Q: Doesn't the BSD license itself require to keep the copyright notice
intact?
A: Yes, it does. And it is, because the Postgres Global Development
Group covers all copyright holders. Also note that US law doesn't
requires any copyright notice for getting the copyright granted, just
like most European laws.
Comments? What else did I forget? Anything wrong with the above answers?
[ Oh, yes: I'm not a lawyer. But I think formulating answers to these
questions makes our intention clearer, anyway. Even for lawyers. ]
Regards
Markus Wanner
[1]: http://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/FAQ#Who_controls_PostgreSQL.3F
[2]:
http://archives.postgresql.org/message-id/1577300971a22a6b93645e8256220378@biglumber.com
