> Not having a LICENSE.txt does not make Github projects
> public domain.
+1. From the U.S. Copyright Office FAQ:
> Do I have to register with your office to be protected?
>
> No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright
> exists from the moment the work is created. You will
> have to register, however, if you wish to bring a
> lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work... [1]
(Many other countries have similar rules.)
This is why open source projects often require a "contributor agreement" when submitting patches.
This is why open source projects often require a "contributor agreement" when submitting patches.
Often "contributor agreements" are only desired by (large) projects so that the large project owns the copyright on your contributions. This will allow them to change the licence at a later date (if they want). Without copyright assignment to them, they have a much harder time changing licence.
There are some cases where relicencing is good (OpenStreetMap had to change it's licence, and had to delete old contributions), and sometimes when it's bad.
This is why open source projects often require a "contributor agreement" when submitting patches.
[1] http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html