A question about applying the GPLv3

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a_slacker_here
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Joined: 06/29/2013

Greetings ladies and gentlemen:

I'm developing a free as in freedom piece of software and I'm trying to use the GPL licence.

I wrote everything in the application but due to the nature of the project, I had indispensable help from a good scientist in the science components of the application. He completely agrees with me about the licence and I know I have to write a header in every source line with the copyright, the name of the author, the date and the authorization:

Should I include his name on the header of every source code alongside mine even though he/she has not wrote a single line of code?

If the answer is no, where should I place his/her name because his/her help was crucial for the success and I find him/her should be considered a co author?

Thank you

a_slacker_here
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Joined: 06/29/2013

I've should have read what I wrote before clicking happily the "save" button. Now I have to accept my poorly written post :(

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

Abstract ideas and "help" are not copyrightable. You wrote everything subject to copyright. Therefore, only you should be indicated in the copyright notice.

If you want to list the name of the person who helped you, do it in some sort of readme or credits list. This has nothing to do with the license, so it doesn't matter how you do it.

a_slacker_here
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Joined: 06/29/2013

Thank you very much mister onpon4 you have helped me a lot :-)

Yes, I will emphasise his/her help in the README and I will be Indicated in the copyright notice.

Until next time

Jabjabs
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Joined: 07/05/2014

It is also way a nice thing to give credit where it is due even if it doesn't relate the specifics of the immediate project code.

ADFENO
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Joined: 12/31/2012

If I recall correctly, the GPL doesn't obligate you to put the license header on every file, it's just a recommendation which is specially useful when someone is in a rush and wants to make a quick copy of one single source file and take it where there's no Internet connection. But I appreciate your concern. :D

Just remember that: If someone tells you that he doesn't like [either our philosophy or the GPL, which is the most common target] because it "obligates the author to put the copyright notice and the short license notice in every file"... Just remember that it's a recommendation for the specific case pointed previously, not an obligation. It's recommended that there is at least a brief mention of the license in the README file (preferably if the project is under any version of the GPL, which has that *or later* option).

Now, a major recommendation (even more important) is to put a LICENSE file, specially if things have multiple licenses (in this case, it also helps if you point out the licenses of the things, where to get them and their complete and corresponding source [if they are functional data, of course], and the copyright holders; all this in the README file for everyone to see).

Of course, I'm not a lawyer, and I'm also a human, and I can make mistakes and could also have been manipulated by my source of information, and so I'm welcoming any corrections. :D