Merge pull request #118 from oceanprotocol/feature/accepting-code-from-external-contributors

Added 'Legal Requirements when Contributing Code'

content/concepts/contributing.md

@@ -6,6 +6,15 @@ description: There are many ways you could contribute to Ocean Protocol.
 All contributions to Ocean Protocol are governed by our [Contributor Code of Conduct](/concepts/code-of-conduct/).
 Code development follows the [Ocean Engineering Principles](/concepts/principles/).
 
+## Help Develop Core Ocean Software
+
+- Read and understand the [legal requirements when contributing code](/concepts/legal-reqs/). In particular, note that you must:
+  - add a copyright notice to the top of all files you modify or create (if one isn't there already).
+  - include a Signed-off-by line in all your Git commit messages.
+- Look through the [dev-ocean repository on GitHub](https://github.com/oceanprotocol/dev-ocean). It summarizes Ocean Protocol software development practices and policies.
+- Ask technical questions in the [Ocean Protocol chatroom on Gitter](https://gitter.im/oceanprotocol/Lobby).
+- Find repository-specific development notes in each repository (usually in the root `README.md` file).
+
 ## Report a Vulnerability
 
 See the page about [reporting vulnerabilities](/concepts/vulnerabilities/).
@@ -46,11 +55,3 @@ See the page about [bounties](/concepts/bounties/).
 
 - [Read the announcement of the Ocean Protocol Ambassador Program](https://blog.oceanprotocol.com/envoys-of-the-new-data-economy-ocean-protocol-ambassadors-3816a0e63611)
 - [Apply to become an ambassador](https://oceanprotocol.com/#ambassadors)
-
-## Help Develop Core Ocean Software
-
-Right now, we're not really set up to accept core code contributions from external developers, except via the bounties mentioned above. In the future, we hope to have policies and processes that empower anyone to contribute.
-
-If you'd like to follow what the core dev team is doing, a good place to start is the dev-ocean repository on GitHub.
-
-<repo name="dev-ocean"></repo>

content/concepts/legal-reqs.md

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+---
+title: Legal Requirements when Contributing Code
+description: How to make sure your code contributions can be included in the Ocean Protocol codebase.
+---
+
+## Ocean Protocol Software Licensing
+
+All Ocean Protocol code (software) is licensed under an [Apache 2.0 license](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html). This page describes the Ocean Protocol policy to ensure that all contributions to the Ocean Protocol code are also licensed under the Apache 2.0 license (and that the contributor has the right to license it as such).
+
+If you are:
+
+- contributing code to complete a _currently-open_ [Ocean Protocol bounty](/concepts/bounties/) or
+- a _current_ employee of BigchainDB GmbH or
+- a _current_ employee of DEX Pte Ltd
+
+then there is nothing extra for you to do: licensing is already handled.
+
+Otherwise you are an "external contributor" and you must do the following:
+
+1. Make sure that every file you modified or created contains a copyright notice comment like the following (at the top of the file):
+
+   ```text
+   # Copyright Ocean Protocol contributors
+   # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+   ```
+
+   If a copyright notice is not present, then add one. Make sure you're using the correct syntax for comments (which varies from language to language). The example shown above is for a Python file.
+1. Read the [Developer Certificate of Origin, Version 1.1](https://developercertificate.org/).
+1. You will be asked to include a Signed-off-by line in all your commit messages. (Instructions are given in the next step.) Make sure you understand that including a Signed-off-by line in your commits certifies that you can make the statements in the Developer Certificate of Origin. If you have questions about this, then please [ask on Gitter](https://gitter.im/oceanprotocol/Lobby) or elsewhere. Do not continue until you fully understand.
+1. Make sure that all your commit messages include a Signed-off-by line of the form:
+
+   ```text
+   Signed-off-by: Random J Developer <random@developer.example.org>
+   ```
+
+   with your real name and your real email address. Sorry, no pseudonyms or anonymous contributions. Tip: You can tell Git to include a Signed-off-by line in a commit message by using `git commit --signoff` or `git commit -s`.
+
+## Credits
+
+The Developer Certificate of Origin was developed by the Linux community and has since been adopted by other projects, including many under the Linux Foundation umbrella (e.g. Hyperledger Fabric).
+The process described above (with the Signed-off-by line in Git commits) is also based on [the process used by the Linux community](https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst#11-sign-your-work---the-developers-certificate-of-origin).
+
+## The Future
+
+In the future, the Ocean Protocol Foundation will dissolve and the policy will probably change to work more like the Linux Kernel, where _every_ contributor must include a Signed-off-by line in all Git commits.

data/sidebars/concepts.yml

@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@
       link: /concepts/bounties/
     - title: Reporting Vulnerabilities
       link: /concepts/vulnerabilities/
+    - title: Legal Requirements when Contributing Code
+      link: /concepts/legal-reqs/
     - title: Engineering Principles
       link: /concepts/principles/
     - title: Code of Conduct