Lit Review 2: Itunes ToS, Fedora Project Contributor Agreement, and Python Software Foundation CLA

Who:

Itunes TOS was written up by Apple. The Fedora Project Contributor Agreement (FPCA) was written up by the fantastic legal team over at the Red Hat legal department. the Python Software Foundation CLA (PCLA) was written up by the Python Software Foundation

What:

Itunes TOS is just terms and conditions for usage. The FPCA is guidelines for project contribution to any existing Fedora projects. The PCLA is a form for signing your project up for distribution.

Where:

You can find the Itunes TOS here. You can find the FPCA here. You can find the PCLA here.

When:

Apple's TOS was last updated September 17th of 2014. The FPCA was last updated last month on February 3. It is unclear when the PCLA was written and is not easily listed on the site.


The Gist:

The Three documents are essentially just different kinds of usage requirements. Itunes is far more straightforward as it is a general product, while the SPCA is a guideline for contribution. The PCLA is meant for distribution rights.

The Good:


In general, not that long (PCLA)
Serve an important function for the community (SPCA and PCLA)
Kept up-to-date



The Bad:


Very much legalese (Itunes and SPCA)
Not very nicely formatted (Itunes)
A legal document, but not really clear on much (PCLA)



Any Questions?


How can one re-license code without having the copyright?
Why the specific licenses presented in the PCLA?



Final Thoughts and Rating:


Each of the three texts serves an important function. Itunes has a usage agreement due to it being a platform for content distribution. Meanwhile the SPCA and PCLA both are meant for actual content creation and as such have more guidelines following along those details, which aren't really required for the Itunes TOS. Overall, they each have their role and should be judged on their ability to fulfill that role. 8/10 overall.