Add a ToS that provides a fallback license for UGC #16

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opened 2026-04-19 23:30:17 -04:00 by chipmunkmc · 3 comments
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As you may know, software and other works are copyrighted in an all rights reserved means unless explicitly otherwise specified. This is quite retarded, but it's just what we have unfortunately.
Not everyone publishing Git repositories, let alone Scratch projects, understands this of course.

To solve this, taking inspiration from scratch.mit.edu's old ToS, it should be possible to specify that users agree to have their works covered by a specific license.
However, we of course need much more flexibility than that, so instead we should only do this if the work does not explicitly include a license of any sort.
As for the actual license to use, we should go for CC0, The Unlicense, or a similar license.

As you may know, software and other works are copyrighted in an all rights reserved means unless _explicitly_ otherwise specified. This is quite retarded, but it's just what we have unfortunately. Not everyone publishing [Git](http://code.chipmunk.land/) repositories, let alone [Scratch](http://scr.chipmunk.land/) projects, understands this of course. To solve this, taking inspiration from scratch.mit.edu's old ToS, it should be possible to specify that users agree to have their works covered by a specific license. However, we of course need much more flexibility than that, so instead we should only do this if the work does not explicitly include a license of any sort. As for the actual license to use, we should go for [CC0](https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/cc0/), [The Unlicense](https://unlicense.org/), or a similar license.
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(I'm certainly not a lawyer, this is how things are to the best of my understanding)

(I'm certainly not a lawyer, this is how things are to the best of _my_ understanding)

This should not be forced upon people. Maybe just let them know about the fact that copyright defaults to ARR instead of forcing public domain upon them.

This should not be forced upon people. Maybe just let them know about the fact that copyright defaults to ARR instead of forcing public domain upon them.
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The idea isn't to force anything, as elaborated here:

However, we of course need much more flexibility than that, so instead we should only do this if the work does not explicitly include a license of any sort.

Anything from another public domain license to another libre license to even proprietary ones and ARR should be possible this way, given a license notice.
This is merely supposed to be a chipmunk.land-wide solution to ARR being the default. While I took inspiration from a ToS forcing a license, that's not the idea here at all.

Maybe just let them know about the fact that copyright defaults to ARR

It might take a while for some people to understand (if I remember correctly @Parker2991's bot took a while to get a LICENSE added).
Oh and not to mention I doubt anyone using the Scratch site will really care.

The idea isn't to force anything, as elaborated here: >However, we of course need much more flexibility than that, so instead we should only do this if the work does not explicitly include a license of any sort. Anything from another public domain license to another libre license to even proprietary ones and ARR should be possible this way, given a license notice. This is merely supposed to be a chipmunk.land-wide solution to ARR being the *default*. While I took inspiration from a ToS forcing a license, that's not the idea here at all. >Maybe just let them know about the fact that copyright defaults to ARR > It might take a while for some people to understand (if I remember correctly @Parker2991's bot took a while to get a LICENSE added). Oh and not to mention I doubt anyone using the Scratch site will really care.
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chipmunk.land/misc#16
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