The author IMHO can relicense their code to whatever their like.
Based on package.json only one author mentioned, Buu Nguyen <buunguyen@gmail.com>
[1]https://github.com/ovity/octotree/blob/master/package.json
Based on package.json only one author mentioned, Buu Nguyen <buunguyen@gmail.com>
[1]https://github.com/ovity/octotree/blob/master/package.json
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_Convention
[2]: https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2017/10/03/with-copyright-wh...
2) The Berne convention is a farce, it doesn't define what's supposed to be enforced or how. It's up to each European country to do their own thing.
You really can't say that copyright is anything settled or mutually recognized across the world. It's quite a mess and it's really complicated.
Assume it's true and consider what it can lead to. Person A writes code under GPL. Person B extends that code significantly, also under GPL. Person A relicenses his code to a closed source.
Now person B, of course, is the rightful owner of his own extensions, but they don't make sense without person A's code. So suddenly person B's work greatly decreases in value.
I'd assume it's not as simple as just relicensing one's own code; other contributions, depending on that, should be taken into account. Or you can't just relicense.
1. Person A writes project X under GPL
2. Person B extends project X under GPL
3. Person A removes all traces of contributions from project X and releases under non-GPL
4. Person B rightfully continues to use project X under GPL, possibly even hosting a fork and continuing collaboration.
(I'm not sure if step 3 is feasible - while person A is free to use their own copyrighted work however they please, it might not be possibly to legally erase all trace of foreign contributions.)
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What normally should happen is that Person A needs to contact all contributors, and have them agree to the relicense their contributions. If all authors agree, then there is no issue. However, step 4 still applies - everyone receiving the code under GPL is free to keep using (and distributing) it under GPL.
Only contributions done to the relicensed work will be uniquely protected by the new license.
Nothing can change the fact that version 1 was released under the terms of the GPL, but that does not mean you can use version 2 released under different terms.
Edit: this is assuming the maintainer is the primary author of the code. The current guidance from the FSF and other organizations that you need support from the authors of 95% of the work.
Indeed ...
> ... maintainers of major projects (including GNU, IIRC) frequently require copyright assignment as a requirement for copyrightable contributions.
... and many folks, including myself, refuse to agree to any such agreements.
Personally, I'd prefer BSD, MIT, or similar anyways but... if a project is GPL, one of the best ways to ensure that it remains GPL is for individual contributors to retain their copyright on any contributions.
Take those paragons of open source, VMware [0] and the "open-vm-tools" [1] project, for example. For a variety of reasons, various components are under different licenses:
> The code is being released under GPL v2 and GPL v2 compatible licenses. To be more specific, the Linux kernel modules are being released under the GPL v2, while almost all of the user level components are being released under the LGPL v2.1. The SVGA and mouse drivers have been available under the X11 license for quite some time. There are certain third party components released under BSD style licenses, to which VMware has in some cases contributed, and will continue to distribute with open-vm-tools.
Okay, so it sounds like it's all open source and should remain that way so I shouldn't have any concerns about contributing bugfixes, enhancements, patches, etc., right? Wait for it...
> Do I need to sign something before making a contribution?
> Yes. We have a standard contribution agreement that covers all contributions made to the project. It gives VMware and you joint copyright interests in the code you are contributing. The agreement also gives VMware flexibility with licensing and also helps avoid any copyright/licensing related issues that may arise in the future.
There it is. Nice choice of wording, by the way: it gives VMware "flexibility" with licensing and "helps avoid any copyright/licensing related issues".
VMware certainly is fond of "flexibility with licensing"' as history has shown.
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Besides all of the other arguments, I think it's completely absurd that an individual should be required to enter into a one-sided legal agreement with a large corporation just to contribute some code -- even just two or three lines -- that they've already written and just want to give away.
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[0]: That's sarcasm, just to be clear!
Similarity like Qt software company doing the relicenced thing and Illumos project keeping latest-before-relicenced software.
It would however be possible for person A to remove all contributions of person B (and possibly rewrite the same functionality).
All copyright holders must agree in order to relicense unless all such holders signed a contributor license agreement which signs over all rights to the original author, and as multiple contributions have been made.
Every single contributor must be contacted, and they must all agree.
(Also, of course note that relicensing does not invalidate previous licenses - if I have a copy from when it was under AGPL, then nothing will ever change that.)