[consulting] Setting Up as an Independent Contractor

[Luigi Bai]

Hi Dave,

I know this will come across as nitpicking, but to be clear: releasing code 
under the GPL actually /requires/ you to retain ownership of the code. To do 
one you have to do the other. The GPL is a license to others of rights you 
retain; if you don't retain those rights, you can't protect your code with 
the GPL.

And so it's clear it works the other way: you can also assign code, as a 
work-for-hire, to your client, while contractually obligating them to release 
it back to you under the GPL. 

Finally, but probably not exhaustively, as others have mentioned, you can 
write the code as a work-for-hire, where it's owned by the client and never 
released to anyone under any license.

ITANAL
Luigi Bai

On Monday, 29 March 2010, Dave Hall wrote:
> Disclaimer: IANAL
> 
> > ----- "Sami Khan" <sami at etopian.net> wrote: 
> > >
> > > I am sorry but when you work on Drupal, you should retain the rights
> > > to your code or it should be GPL, 
> 
> The 2 things are mutually exclusive.  You can retain ownership over code
> and release it as GPL.
>