[GitHub] [incubator-nuttx] patacongo edited a comment on issue #128: IP Clearance

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patacongo edited a comment on issue #128:
URL: https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx/issues/128#issuecomment-691732515


   > Take care with this. The copyright holder in source may or may not be the correct one.
   
   Similarly, the author in GIT may not be the author of the file.  Often the copyright holder in the source file header is the correct one, even though that person many not appear in GIT history.
   
   Many people copy files that wrote into different locations (very often for new architectures and for new boards which are very similar to older architectures and boards).  Very often, I am the author of the file in these cases.
   
   Bottom line:  There is no magic, automated way to correct determine the author.  It requires collecting data and then also applying human insight.
   
   @justinmclean https://github.com/justinmclean For many cases there are multiple contributors of changes to a file.  There is an original author, the original committer (who might be a different person) and people who have made trivial changes (as trivial as a spelling fix) or who have made substantial enhancements or re-designs.  The former would not be treated as authors or copyright holders, but the latter may be.  Is there any rule of thumb for what constitutes a significant change warranting rights to the file?  Or does this also require human insight.
   
   There are thousands of files involved here.  This is potentially multiple man years of effort.  I don't see how we can ever accomplish this.
   
   


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