How about that notice from [[Main/PeterThoeny]]? Why don't we change the [[WebPreferences]] for the Hurd web to say "Copyright (c) 2002 Free Software Foundation", instead of the usual "... the contributing authors". I think that would make the information we put in here easier to move around among different webs (not only Wikified ones...). Perhaps also add a notice on licensing? Like this:

    "Copyright (C) 2001, 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
     59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111,  USA

     Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
     permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved."

    Submitting material to the Hurd Wiki not only assigns the copyrights
    to the Free Software Foundation it also put the material itself under
    the GNU FDL, http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html

-- [[Main/JoachimNilsson]] - 14 May 2002

Don't do this - the material will not be assigned to the FSF until every contributor signed a paper form and filed it with the FSF.

So simply claiming something is (C) FSF will not make it to be so, and it will not only have no effect, but also be confusing.

Wiki has authentication, this is good. However, unless you have paper forms, all contributions remain with the original author.

And if you had papers, you would have to disallow or moderate guest account contributions and either filter them out or change the copyright notice when they are filled in. This makes reusing Wiki-evolved content in free software projects by the FSF difficult btw, so don't expect major wiki-evolved content to be included in FSF manuals or so (this is not a problem, as long as everyone is aware of this limitation and keeps it in mind).

-- Marcus Brinkmann (no, not a Wiki-Name :)

So what you are saying is basically this:

1. We cannot assign the copyright to the FSF without the _paper_ work.
2. We _can_ use content from the FSF (as long as we keep all copyright information, of course), but any content evolved from this is unusable for GNU manuals.
3. Even if every newly registered user (and [[Main/TWikiGuest]] is disabled completely for the Hurd Web) agrees to our terms that agreement is useless without the _paper_ work.

Oh, there is of course all the RCS diffs ... would that help, if we would like to have the Wiki content in GNU manuals?

-- [[Main/JoachimNilsson]] - 14 May 2002

If you have papers signed by the contributors, then any Guest added words (less than 10 lines?) can be filtered out of the Wiki using RCS. This is acceptable for GNU code, if I recall correctly. You may have to re-writen certain portions of the Wiki to use FSF contributed work only, though.

-- [[Main/SimonLaw]] - 16 May 2002

There seems to be a confusion of FDL vis-a-vis copyright-assignment here. FDL is like the all-important Step 1 which protects this content from being non-free. Copyright assignment is an Optional Step 2.

Step2's not being feasible does not mean that we can't take Step 1.

90% of GPL'ed software out there does not take Step 2. Step 2 helps by involving FSF in case someone violates our Step 1--the copyright itself. But i don't see why we cannot take Step 1 atleast.

-- [[Main/DeepakGoel]] - 01 Oct 2002

After an email discussion a while ago now between myself, Grant Bowman, RMS and Marcus Brinkmann the following results where achieved:

* Copyright assignment can indeed be done without the extensive paperwork.

* To implement this on a Wiki some provisions must be fulfilled:
  * The user must **_actively_** select a checkbox or similar.
  * The text to the checkbox can be _"I approve to also assign the copyrights of my work to the FSF"_

* This practise can be implemented today in the U.S., but in the EU there are still some things that need to be ironed out. Different countries still have differences in copyright law. However, the Swedish laws, where the Hurd wiki is located, do allow such a practise.

The first step, mentioned above by [[Main/DeepakGoel]] we have now taken. The Hurd wiki is now licensed under the GNU FDL. The second step, assigning copyright will take a bit longer since the Perl scripts making out the TWiki engine must be altered. Also, we must first make sure that we all want to take the second step - we will also need to get the approval of assigning copyright of older material by those editors.

-- [[Main/JoachimNilsson]] - 01 Jan 2003

I don't feel taking the next step of copyright assignment is necessary, but I'm not opposed to it either. My concerns revolve around encouraging a wider participation and not actively putting up more barriers. Not many folks contribute as it is, unfortunately.

-- [[Main/GrantBow]] - 03 Jan 2003