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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 14-03-26 06:06 PM,
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:josh@joshtriplett.org">josh@joshtriplett.org</a> wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:20140326220638.GC16879@cloud" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">This seems fine, though there are many more authors not listed here.
(It's sad that this can't be handled by just pointing to git history.)
</pre>
</blockquote>
I see what you mean. The role of the COPYING file is very specific.
It contains the aggregation of all Copyright statements in the
source code. It is not a list of authors or contributors. Authors
must write the license text in the source code to protect their
work.<br>
<br>
One way for a module to acknowledge other authors and contributions
is to list them in the README file. The X Window System does this by
having a section "<span class="sect1"><a
href="http://www.x.org/releases/X11R7.7/doc/xorg-docs/ReleaseNotes.html#Attributions_Acknowledgements_Credits">Attributions/Acknowledgements/Credits</a>"
in the Release Notes.</span><br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.x.org/releases/X11R7.7/doc/xorg-docs/License.html">http://www.x.org/releases/X11R7.7/doc/xorg-docs/License.html</a>:<br>
<h2 class="title" style="clear: both">Introduction</h2>
<p>
The X.Org Foundation X Window System distribution is a compilation
of code and
documentation from many sources. This document is intended
primarily
as a guide to the licenses used in the distribution: you must
check
each file and/or package for precise redistribution
terms. None-the-less, this summary may be useful to many users.
</p>
<p>
This document is based on the compilation from XFree86.
If you find any errors or significant omissions in this document,
please
contact us with details at <code class="email"><<a
class="email" href="mailto:xorg@lists.freedesktop.org">xorg@lists.freedesktop.org</a>></code>.
</p>
<p>
Most of these licenses are based on the MIT, X Consortium, or BSD
(original and revised) licenses. All of them are consistent with
the
<a class="ulink"
href="http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php"
target="_top">Open Source Definition</a>, and most are
consistent with the Free Software Foundation's <a class="ulink"
href="http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/free-sw.html" target="_top">Free
Software
Definition</a>.
</p>
<p>
While the current licenses are all open source licenses, the
X.Org Foundation is attempting, over time, to bring as much as
possible of the code's licenses in the distribution into
compliance with the
<a class="ulink"
href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines"
target="_top">Debian Free Software Guidelines</a>.
</p>
[...]<br>
<br>
Thanks<br>
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