Legal Resources

Legal resource page for the Eclipse Foundation.

Getting Started

  • Quick and Fun Process Prose A quick overview of the development and IP processes in cartoons and other forms.
  • Guide to the Legal Documents: This provides an in-depth look at the many legal documents related to the Eclipse open source community. This content is of value to committers, contributors, redistributors of Eclipse content, developers of Eclipse-based products and users of Eclipse technologies.
  • EPL Frequently Asked Questions: This FAQ answers some of the commonly asked questions about the Eclipse Public License (EPL).
  • Eclipse Foundation Legal Frequently Asked Questions: This document answers some of the commonly asked questions about Eclipse.org licensing, contributions, working as a committer, and cryptography.
  • For other questions, email: license (at) eclipse.org

Agreements and Licenses

  • Web Site Terms of Use: By accessing, browsing or using this web site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions contained in this agreement.
  • Eclipse Public License (EPL): The fundamental license document for the Eclipse projects and community.
  • Eclipse Distribution License (EDL): The BSD license used by some Eclipse projects which require dual-licensing along with the EPL. Use of this license by an Eclipse project is on a case-by-case basis and requires unanimous approval of the Board of Directors.
  • Contributor License Agreement: If you are contributing code or documentation to Eclipse Foundation projects you are required to complete this agreement.
  • Contributor's Certificate of Originality: If you are contributing code or documentation to Eclipse Foundation projects, and using the git signed-off-by mechanism, you are agreeing to this certificate.
  • Copyright Agent: Contact information for the Eclipse Foundation's Copyright Agent.
  • Eclipse Foundation Software User Agreement: By downloading builds or accessing the CVS repository, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions contained in this agreement. This agreement is used for projects that default to the Eclipse Public License (EPL).
  • Approved Licenses for Non-Code, Example, and Other Content: The Board of Directors has approved the use of certain licenses for specific types of content on eclipse.org.
  • Eclipse Foundation Update Manager Agreement: If you package "downloadable features" to be installed from your web site using the Eclipse Update Manager, you must read, understand, and agree to the terms and conditions contained in this agreement.

Privacy and Trademarks

  • Privacy Policy: Your privacy is important to us. This statement discloses the information practices for this web site, including what type of information is gathered and tracked, how the information is used, and with whom the information is shared.
  • Trademark Usage Guidelines: Guidelines on permissable use of Eclipse logos and trademarks.
  • Trademark Transfer Agreement: Pre-existing projects which move to the Eclipse Foundation will be required to execute this agreement to ensure that the Eclipse Foundation has rights to any trademarks associated with the project name.
  • Trademark Attributions: Content on this web site may make reference to trademarks requiring attribution.

Committer Agreements

  • Member Committer Agreement: This agreement is used by Member companies to cover all of their committers participating in Eclipse projects.
  • Individual Committer Agreement: This agreement is used by committers participating in Eclipse projects who are not covered by a Member Committer Agreement.
  • Employer Consent Form: Committers covered by an Individual Committer Agreement must document the consent of their employer when participating in Eclipse projects.

Resources for Committers

  • Due Diligence Process: This document provides a quick pictorial overview of the due diligence process.
  • Third Party Dependencies: This document contains the guidelines for the review of third-party dependencies.
  • Committer Guidelines: This document outlines the issues to be aware of and the processes one should follow when working as a committer on Eclipse.org projects. A committer is a person that has been granted commit rights to systems on the Eclipse.org servers such as the CVS repository, web pages, download servers, mailing lists and so forth.
  • Contribution Questionnaire: Prior to committing a significant contribution of content to an Eclipse Foundation project, the committer must fill out this questionnaire and submit it to the Eclipse Management Organization (EMO) for approval. In addition to the EMO, the relevant PMC must also provide a technical review and approval of the contribution. Follow the link to find out more about what we mean by "significant contribution". Bug fixes or minor enhancements do not require PMC or EMO approval.
  • "About" Templates: This provides templates for the "about.html" ("About") files used to describe EPL-licensed content.
  • Default Copyright and License Notice: The standard copyright and license notice should appear in all source files where possible. Variations on this notice may be required (for example where a license other than the CPL or EPL governs the use of the file).
  • Using the IPLog+ Flag in Bugzilla: There are two different ways to mark a contribution in bugzilla. If the contribution is an attachment to a bug such as a patch, the attachment itself should be marked with the iplog+ flag. If the contribution is in the form of a comment in the bug, then the iplog+ flag should be set on the bug itself.
  • New Committer Process: The process for project leads and PMC members to add additional committers to an existing project.
  • Recorded IP Presentations