I'm adding the 'bold' for things I think we need to pay close attention to, or I just find very agreeable:
On 2021-09-08 22:54, Paul McClernan via use-livecode wrote:
I've already fixed a bug that I reported back in April in my fork(s) and
added a link to my fix to that bugzilla report.
https://github.com/PaulMcClernan/LiveCo ... nicEdition
At this point in any changed relationship, it’s necessary to set out the new terms, as amicably as possible. Each side needs to clearly understand where they can and cannot go now. As our move away from supporting Open Source LiveCode is still very new, it’s likely the ramifications are not as yet understood.
I have to ask you (and anyone involved in that project, or any other forks) politely not to submit any changes back to bugzilla or anywhere else associated with LiveCode Ltd. as it creates a business risk for us.
We (LiveCode Ltd.) cannot take any code changes you make to your project's version of the LiveCode source-code and use them in our commercial code as (by default) it will be GPLv3 licensed, and the copyright of that will be held by the person who authored the changes; just as you cannot change the license from GPLv3 nor copyright attribution (LiveCode Ltd.) - whether explicit or implicit - of any existing line of code in your project's fork of the LiveCode repositories, nor take any changes which appear from now onwards in any commercial edition to incorporate into your project.
When we were running the open source project, we had in place a Contributor's License Agreement which meant that the copyright of any code authored by a contributor in any patch submitted to LiveCode Ltd was assigned to us. However, this only extended to contributions submitted through GitHub, where there was an appropriate immutable record of such submissions and it was universally clear what changes were being made. For obvious reasons, this no longer exists.
More generally, I must also ask you not to use the LiveCode mailing list, bug reporting system or LiveCode forums for discussions surrounding your fork - particularly related to plans, ideas, developments and changes which are being or have been made.
At no point do I want us to be the target of any sort of public ill-will or indeed lawsuit due to assertions of copyright theft, or appropriation of other people's ideas that were not clearly (whether implicitly or explicitly) proffered to us directly.
The only way to ensure that is for any forks (yours included) to stand completely independently and by themselves - with their own communication forums, distinctive product name and distinct branding so there can be no risk of confusion nor appropriation of anything from either side.
I should point out that recent events are actually nothing to do with my above words - I would have said the same to any fork maintainer who actively sought to advertise their fork within the existing LiveCode community - as defined by LiveCode's mailing lists, forums, bug reporting system, or any other forum owned and run by LiveCode Ltd. for the purposes of public interaction - or posted links to code changes from that project or on any such forum/system. Indeed, ensuring complete independence really is standard practice when forks are made of open source projects - OpenOffice and LibreOffice spring to mind.
We fully respect the legacy we have created in terms of the GPLv3 source-code, copyrighted to LiveCode Ltd., which is forever preserved in the archived GitHub repositories in the LiveCode GitHub account which carry the LiveCode name. We have no issue with any or all forks or open-source GPLv3-based projects which might arise from that legacy.
All we ask is that any such project ensures that it respects LiveCode Ltd.'s intellectual property as embodied within that (through its GPLv3 licensed, copyrighted source-code) and also respects LiveCode Ltd.'s right to assert itself as the only entitled user of the LiveCode name, trademarks and brand identity.
With all that said, I wish you, and anyone who joins you, well with your endeavour.
Have fun!
Warmest Regards,
Mark.
--
Mark Waddingham ~ mark@livecode.com ~ http://www.livecode.com/
LiveCode: Everyone can create apps
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