[Textbook-l] Anonymous contributions

[Toby Bartels]

Wouter Vanden Hove wrote:

>Therefore wouldn't it be better to ask the transfer of copyright from
>anonymous contributors instead of an actual license under the GFDL?

>Copyright could be transferred to the Wikimedia Foundation. A disclaimer
>could be issued that states that the contributions always will be used
>in a free and open copyleft spirit.

This sounds like a very interesting idea!

If we do this, then the time pressure on licence issues reduces.
Should somebody come along that wants to combine Wikibooks
with a free project covered by a Creative Commons (or other) licence,
then we can look at that licence, decide that it's free, and OK it.
And should somebody come along that wants to contribute
material covered by a Creative Commons (or other) licence,
then we can look at that licence, decide that it's free, and OK that.

Now, we have to implement submission of copyleft material.
Given other posters' complaints that transfer of copyright is out,
and given that copyleft material must be tracked as such, I suggest:
* Tell contributors that submissions are licenced to Wikimedia
  with no restriction other than those listed below;
* State (as part of their giving us rights, so it's legally binding)
  that we will immediately distribute the material under the GNU FDL
  (which is exactly what we do when we put it up on the web site); and
* Give a radio button option to say that the material is:
  * Free for the submitter to transfer all rights to us; or
  * Free for the submitter to submit only under the GNU FDL.
In the latter case, we flag the material as GNU FDL-only,
so we won't accidentally redistribute it under a CC licence.
(Thus it's out of bounds for the first "should somebody" above.)
If somebody wants to give us submissions under some other copyleft
(which is the second "should somebody" above), then we can add buttons.

This plan still needs some work, but I'll let others point out its flaws,
thus encouraging them to simultaneously suggest fixes. ^_^


-- Toby