[ECOS] Are copyright assignments detrimental to eCos?

[Jiri Gaisler]

Andrew Lunn wrote:

>>>> I have looked at the files in eCos Pro, and majority of it has
>>>> the GPL license with the linking exception. Is there anything that
>>>> would prevent me from merging updated files from eCos Pro back
>>>> to the open CVS version?
>>> AFAICS, no, given that you legally received your copy of eCos Pro.
>> eCoscentric provides a free eCos Pro kit for the Nios processor,
>> which anyone can download. This would mean that all GPL files in
>> the kit are free to be merged with the open CVS. Or is there some
>> other catch ...?
> 
> The catch is that in order for it to be included into anoncvs, the
> owner of the code has to agree and transfer the copyright to FSF. So i
> cannot just pick up eCosCentric code and commit it. eCosCentric have
> to agree to it as copyright owner.

So if I contribute code to the anoncvs, I assign the copyright to FSF.
If eCoscentric includes the code into eCos Pro, it will still bear the
FSF copyright. If they then make a bug fix, any licensee of eCos Pro
should be able to submit the fix into anoncvs, since the copyright
is still with FSF and the code is still GPL. Have I got this right?
Or do I need to assign the copyright to eCoscentric before it is
included in the eCos Pro distribution?

What I am trying to avoid is a fork of a potential contribution,
with one version in anoncvs and some other version in eCos Pro.

Jiri.

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