CLA Free Initiative, Embracing Open Source with Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO)
Introduction: Understanding CLA and DCO
In the open source community, contributions and collaborations are the lifeblood that drive innovation and growth. However, managing these contributions requires careful consideration of legal and ethical aspects. Traditionally, many open source projects have used Contributor License Agreements (CLA) to manage contributions. However, there’s a growing shift towards using a Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO), and for good reasons.
What is a CLA?
A Contributor License Agreement is a legal document in which contributors agree to certain terms and conditions before contributing to the project. These often include clauses about intellectual property and licensing rights. While CLAs provide a legal framework in favor of the organisation creating it, they can also be complex, requiring legal advice and potentially discouraging casual or one-time contributors due to their legalistic nature.
What is a DCO?
In contrast, a Developer Certificate of Origin is a simpler, more contributor-friendly approach. It’s a lightweight attestation attached to each contribution, confirming that the contributor has the right to make the contribution under the open source license terms and is not violating any copyright laws.
Benefits of DCO over CLA
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Simplicity and Ease of Contribution: DCOs streamline the contribution process. Contributors need only to add a sign-off statement to their contributions, indicating their agreement with the DCO terms. This simplicity encourages broader participation from the community, including both individual developers and those working for organizations.
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Legal Transparency: DCOs provide a clear and straightforward declaration about the origin and licensing of contributions. This transparency is crucial for maintaining the trust and integrity of open source projects.
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Preventing License Lock-in: One of the key advantages of using a DCO is to avoid scenarios where project maintainers unilaterally change the project’s license to a non-free or proprietary one. A DCO ensures that the contributions remain under the project’s original open source license, fostering a consistent and fair environment for all contributors.
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Community Trust and Ethical Practice: The DCO promotes ethical practices by making sure contributors acknowledge their rights to submit the work. This builds a foundation of trust and mutual respect within the community, vital for any collaborative project.
A Step Towards Open Collaboration
By adopting the Developer Certificate of Origin, open source projects not only simplify their contribution process but also uphold the principles of freedom, transparency, and fairness that are central to the open source ethos. This shift encourages wider participation, fosters innovation, and helps safeguard the open nature of projects against restrictive licensing changes. Let’s embrace DCO for a healthier, more vibrant open source community.
Logo
If your open source or free software project does not require a CLA and copyright is shared among all contributors, you may use one of the following logos:
The markdown version is available below:
[](https://ossbase.org/initiatives/cla-free/)
