| Re: [open-regulatory-compliance] Flowchart from a natural person's perspective -- straw man |
Here is my attempt at a more flowchart form for natural persons (mostly in reaction to some private questions).
Mainly to see if this teases out other questions/issues.
I’ve been a bit black and white/over the top in below; somewhat intentional to see if this helps us get better boundaries for the vague areas; and if there are things we can simply take as right — and we can focus on the ‘indicators’ for these.
Dw.
10: Do I personally contribute to an open source project ?
E.g. do I sent in patches or do I post bugfixes to an Open Source project ? Or do I do a pull request ?
No: Do I contribute to that open source project as part of job; because my boss wants it ?
I.e. in the boss his time (also if I am my own boss - where it is part of what I deliver to my customers) ?
Yes: Generally - the CRA is not your problem, but your bosses their problem.
This flowchart is not for them.
goto 20
No: goto 20
Yes: Do I have a committer license agreement (CLA) with that open source Project and do you contribute under that license ?
Or do you contribute to a project with an implied contribution agreement that is part of the projects open source license ?
Yes: While it depends on the minutiae; you are almost certainly fine if it is one of the many typical ASF variations of a CLA.
goto 20
No: you are probably fine; but would be good to introduce a CLA
goto 20
20: Are you maintaining or operating a public software repositories of open source ?
Yes: You are probably fine
goto 30
No: goto 30
30: Are you developing ppen source software in the course of a commercial activity ?
i.e. is it placed such that others (downstream) can use it in lasting ways as these downstream parties go about their lives or business ?
Yes: goto 40
No: You are probable fine
So you are a pure hobbyist; no one really uses your code; or others if so - and if they do so - it does not result on something lasting that exposes it to other people beyond the person who you directly shared it with.
END
40: Are you monetising the work you do on this open source ?
For example you XXXX?
Yes: Go read the CRA. This flow chart is not for you.
END
No: goto 50
50: Is there a group of people and/or legal persons that you are part of, where there is the shared objective or purpose to create, maintain, publish that open source licensed code ?
A typical indication is that you call yourself a group; have a website; have a SCM you all have access to; may have created a more formal legal vehicle; such as a foundation, society or similar, practice some software/release engineering and that you create some forms of processes and rules.
Yes: > hit the superset or either/or issue of legal/natural person <
goto 60
No: You are probable fine - depending a bit on the answer to above super/subset issue
END
60: Is the purpose of that open source such that it is intended; or quite possibly, to be used `downstream’, including by others in a commercial setting ?
Typical indications of this are things like a SCM, release notes, versions numbers, READMEs, makefiles, including in repositories, systemd scripts to start/stop, an FAQ, A manual, a bug database, non directly involved developers submitting bugs or asking questions, etc.
Yes: goto 70
No: You are probable fine - and you and a few mates are working on something very internal; such as the open source code for a large model transit you are building together
END
70 Is there an aspect of a sustained basis & ensuring longer term viability of the product.
So think proper release engineering, fixing bugs, doing risk-based triage, responsible disclosure, filing CVEs, disclosing unsolved vulnerabilities in the release notes, peer review of the releases, timely releases, etc ?
Yes: You are probably an open source steward.
END
No: You probably want to step up your organisational maturity. So that your software is generally `fit for purpose’; and some abandonware does not catch anyone of guard by accident. E.g. much like you would not leave a razorblade where a child could find it.
As the CRA was designed to clam down on exactly this type of situation.
END
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