[pm-h] Contributions to Perl modules

[B. Estrade]

On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 12:26 PM, G. Wade Johnson <gwadej at anomaly.org> wrote:

> On Thu, 1 Aug 2013 09:40:53 -0700 (PDT)
> "Michael R. Davis" <mrdvt92 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Perl Folks,
> > > I got into a conversation about contributing to Perl modules.
> >
> > Before you contribute something to CPAN, please ensure that "YOU" own
> > the copyright.  Most employers actually own the copyright on
> > "anything" you write based on the documentation that you signed when
> > you were hired. Hey you wanted the job. right?  My company's
> > agreement is that anything that I write on my time on my own computer
> > is my copyright, otherwise it's theirs. Drag out those intellectual
> > property agreements! For you Federal Employees post away.  Anything
> > you Feds write on your time is yours.  Anything you "work" on during
> > your "core" hours is typically public domain (FOUO and classified are
> > exceptions).  So, it's best to upload a stub to CPAN at night under
> > your copyright then down load that stub and add public domain content
> > to it during the public dollar time. Thanks, Mike
> > http://search.cpan.org/~mrdvt/
>
> That's a really good point, Michael. Check your agreements carefully.
> I've been told at companies before that everything I touch belongs to
> them (didn't stay there long).
>
> Many companies have reasonable agreement based on the concept that you
> have to practice to get better at anything. It would probably be better
> to practice at home than to practice on the production code.<grin/>
>
> Even if the company owns the copyright, some companies are willing to
> release non-core-business code as open source if they understand the
> benefits to the company of doing so.
>

That is not to say that code you write on _your_ time in a contract
situation is automatically "owned" by your customer. I believe it's yours
unless specifically transferred in some sort of formalized agreement.  I
could be wrong, but that is my understanding.

Brett


>
> G. Wade
> --
> I've been living on the edge too long, where the winds of limbo roar.
>                       -- "Veteran of Psychic Wars", Blue Oyster Cult
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