Many open source projects, including the Free Software Foundation, Red Hat, MySQL, JBoss and OpenOffice.org require that contributors assign their copyright when they contribute code. ANSHealth, the ePostRx project sponsor and originator, has come up with an innovative Contributor Agreement ("CA") that allows contributors to retain their own copyright while sharing a joint copyright interest in the contributed code. This way contributors retain all the rights granted by copyright law while sharing those rights with the open source project sponsor so that the code is protected by both the GNU General Public License ("GPL") and copyright law.

To understand the advantage of the CA, consider the problems Mozilla is experiencing in trying to license its code base under a MPL/LGPL/GPL tri-license without the benefit of copyright assignments. Refer to: http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/relicensing-faq.html. Requiring CAs will also give ePostRx the flexibility to make its code available under other licenses such as the MPL or the Apache Software License in order to contribute portions of the ePostRx code to those projects.

The CA requirement also provides for better enforcement of the GPL. Without copyright assignment, any court action related to the ePostRx code would require the participation of all contributors as copyright holders. The CA allows ANSHealth to represent the ePostRx community in any enforcement action, while still allowing the community to participate at their choice as joint copyright holders.

The CA does not in any way change the rights or responsibilities of the ePostRx community under the GPL. ANSHealth is only requesting that you take one additional step to increase ePostRx flexibility, protect the ePostRx code base and make alternative licensing models possible by executing a CA for any contribution.

To complete the CA, download the contributor-agreement. The PDF file is form-enabled, so if you are using a suitable reader you can type your details directly into the PDF. If you do not have a forms capable reader, please take care to print your details very clearly, including your email address.

Please note: Signing an agreement does not grant you rights as a committer, but is simply a step in becoming a committer. Committer access is by invitation only and is a privilege for those who have demonstrated exceptional ability in contributing to the ePostRx community.


What is ANSHealth's position on Software Patents?

ASHealth has consistently taken the position that software patents generally impede innovation in software development and that software patents are inconsistent with open source/free software. At the same time, we are forced to live in the world as it is, and that world currently permits software patents. A relatively small number of very large companies have amassed large numbers of software patents. One defense against such misuse is to develop a corresponding portfolio of software patents for defensive purposes. Many software companies, both open source and proprietary, pursue this strategy. In the interests of our company and in an attempt to protect and promote the open source community, ANSHealth has elected to adopt this same stance. We do so reluctantly because of the perceived inconsistency with our stance against software patents; however, prudence dictates this position.