Re: [libmicrohttpd] [Taler] Moral rights: credits

[Bruno Haible]

Hi Christian,

> Are you aware that for Taler and GNUnet we have a copyright assignment
> to GNUnet e.V. and that the GNUnet e.V. (or Taler Systems SA) is listed
> as the copyright holder in each file, and that those should/would be the
> ones enforcing the (A)GPL anyway?

That should be sufficient for practical enforcement of the GPL in
Germany, as far as I understand things.

> However, your point is slightly more valid for GNU libmicrohttpd / GNU
> libextractor. Still, there we have the *dominant* author(s) names in the
> copyright header as well -- and I'm not proposing to remove _those_.

Ah, OK, then I had misunderstood your plans.

> So for example, if the file does say on top:
> /*
>   This file is part of PACKAGE
>   Copyright (C) 2007-2018 MAJOR AUTHOR
> */
> 
> does it really help to have an additional authors below?

It would help if the less frequent contributors want to enforce
the GPL for their contributions, without being helped by the
major author.

> I'd think
> having a very tiny number of authors (or organizations) listed in a file
> makes it much easier for *those listed there* to enforce the GPL than if
> you have the kitchen-sink of everybody who ever added a line.

Maybe. I don't know whether it matters in court whether there are a small
or a large number of other contributors, other than the one who is sueing.

Bruno