2.2 Accepting Contributions

See Contributions.

All GNU packages need to install smoothly and work solidly. Writing the installation code and other accoutrements of a package is part of the job, just like “writing the program.” It is a matter of whether the whole job is done. Offering to contribute a program, but not offering to follow through by setting up the installation, is not really a useful way of helping. If a contributor does part of the job, and expects to dump the rest of the job on the maintainer, naturally the maintainer will be annoyed. And he may well say I don't have time for that. (letter from Richard, 1996-06-14.)

One argument that is recurrent, when time comes to request and obtains assignments from contributors, is that since the code is GPLed to start with, the GPL wording could be used in court to prove that additions or derived code is itself GPLed, and as such, does not need explicit assignment. We are all harrased with legalese, and try finding ways to escape it, this is normal.

In case of an hypothetical court suit against the FSF for copyright matters, the strength of the copyright, as well as the strength of your defense, depends on how you were provably interested in defending it in a day-to-day manner. If the FSF can prove it always took the copyright matters seriously, and not only once at the beginning for a package, it is in a quite better position for defending itself.¹

You should never try to adapt legal wording yourself. If you come to a situation which isn't exactly one where you know what to do, please ask Richard, who may have to ask the FSF lawyer what to do (letter from Richard, 1995-09-19).