The SLA is an extension to the Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA which neither affects it in any way nor invalidates it. The SLA is the PLUS-component of the Creative Commons CC+ license which is provided for potential additions to the CC licenses. The SLA "Source License Agreement" or "Quellen Lizenz Vereinbarung" in German has been developed specifically for the open source project RockTopo.org in such a way that it can be used by other projects or creative minds that are faced with the same problems.
Depending on their individual components, CC licenses regulate explicitly what can and cannot be done in accordance with the chosen license. However, these components cannot cater for all needs of all projects and thus require specific additions in individual cases.
License CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0/4.0 has been chosen for the open source project RockTopo.org to give the creators of topo prints the best possible protection and control over their works and at the same time retain the possibility of further commercial use of their works. Furthermore, this license will also protect the RockTopo.org project. This is done by the NC part (non commercial) of the CC license. No other person apart from the creator can use their work commercially, i.e. make money out of it. This is where the NC part and the RockTopo.org project may clash.
An open source project usually involves costs which can be manifold depending on the nature of the project. Open source projects as for example Mozilla™ or Wikipedia™ can accumulate personnel costs and administrative expenses without which such dedicated and professional projects could not be realized. Still, 95% of all open source projects are considerably smaller than the two above mentioned examples. What all these projects have in common, is the struggle with costs for availability of server or hosting partner. Open source projects normally rely on donations to keep themselves alive. However, only very few are successful in doing so. That is why many projects use sponsors and advertising partners or find other sources of income.
RockTopo.org too relies on and hopes for donations to maintain itself. However, an open source project that shows potential also needs alternative strategies in case donations cannot guarantee to keep the project alive. Moreover, a plan needs to be in place in case the project and its needs grow.
License CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0/4.0 explicitly allows for alterations to a creation which has been posted on RockTopo.org. If another person alters a creation, it has to be placed under the same license again. This is regulated by the SA part (share alike). If this altered creation (derivative) is to be published on RockTopo.org again, approval is needed by the creator regarding the NC part (non commercial) because RockTopo.org may have to use advertisements or other commercial activities to guarantee its financial security. These commercial activities would correspond to commercial use as defined by the NC part which means that reissue of the derivative on RockTopo.org would not be possible.
This situation requires a rule of exception which ensures RockTopo.org (the source) commercial use. At the same time this rule needs to enable everyone else who alters a project from RockTopo.org to use this work (derivative) in accordance with the NC part.
In other words, SLA renders the NC part (non commercial) for RockTopo.org invalid and the creator agrees to any commercial use of their work by RockTopo.org. At the same time, this exception also applies to the derivatives. This expands the SA part (share alike) of license CC-BY-NC-SA. This rule of exception and its transfer onto derivatives applies exclusively to the source project RockTopo.org.
This ensures that anyone who downloads a work (e.g. topo) which is subject to license CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0/4.0 from RockTopo.org and alters it can then publish the new work (derivative) on RockTopo.org again.
By accepting the SLA, the creator waives any financial claims towards RockTopo.org and any income gained with their work.
The creator can use their own work commercially at any time or allow others to make commercial use of it. This, however, does not apply to the derivatives (altered works) of their work. To use derivatives commercially, everyone who was part of creating these has to agree.
- The creator transfers irrevocably every right for commercial use of his work onto the source project
RockTopo.org or any new projects that derive from RockTopo.org as long as they are within the context
of an open source project. This is an important point in case a source project is renamed, signed with a
firm name, split up because of its size or other problems that require its modification.
- The creator renounces irrevocably on any financial claim against the source project RockTopo.org
or any new projects that derive from RockTopo.org and any financial income made with the creator's work.
This also applies to any derivatives which have been created based on the creator's work.
- The creator transfers irrevocably every right for commercial use of his own work also on all following
derivatives, onto the source project RockTopo.org, or any new projects that derive from RockTopo.
- The SLA makes it obligatory to everyone who alters a work from the source project and thereby creates
a derivative, to makes this available to the source project again.
The source/ source project mentioned in the SLA refers to RockTopo.org.
RockTopo.org / http://www.rocktopo.org
© Uwe Kiefer / RockTopo.org