[josm-dev] License clarification for JOSM plugins

[Gervase Markham]

Frederik Ramm wrote:
> I especially dislike the idea of a "copyright" line on every file
> since I would have to amend that each time I apply a patch that
> someone sent. 

That's not true; not every trivial patch is copyrightable. And copyright 
exists whether or not the person puts their name on it. So the best 
thing to do is have a policy that if people want to add their name, they 
do so as part of their patch. Easy - no work for you.

> I have now updated the "LICENSE" file in JOSM to say that it is safe
> to assume "GPL v2 or later" (file attached below). In the jurisdiction
> I live in, it is generally the *intent* that counts, and I assume that
> all contributors who have contributed under GPLv2 would also have done
> so under v3. If anyone who has contributed stuff under v2 is unhappy
> with this, contact me and we'll find a way to resolve this without
> breaking JOSM. 

That's a helpful clarification. Thank you :-)

Gerv