Switchmode Developer Agreementan open form contract for open source contractors
I’m pleased to announce publication of the Switchmode Developer Agreement, a freely available form contract for open-source developers doing a mix of open- and closed-project work for paying clients. The most recent drafts are available on commonform.org and GitHub.
I’ll plan to review a version of the form line-by-line here on the blog when time permits. Until then, the best introduction is the project README file, which already has an overview of structure and banner features.
I’m very eager to receive feedback and improvements from others. The CONTRIBUTING file has “wishlists” of feedback, from both software people and fellow lawyers. Best case, this transforms quickly from “Kyle’s form” to something that belongs to the community at large, with due to credit to all those pitching in, however they’re able. Part of rewriting something like this, from scratch, in plain language, is to ensure that users, and not just their lawyers, can read, adapt, and improve it.
As a final note, I’ve applied my first practical crack at a public license for “open” legal forms to the project. Feedback is also welcome on that text, in its own repository.
Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome by e-mail.