:compat-mode: legacy
= General Guidelines for All Languages =

== Copyright ==

indexterm:[copyright]

When copyright notices are added to a file, they should look like this:

.Copyright Notice Format
====
Copyright +YYYY[-YYYY]+ the Pacemaker project contributors

The version control history for this file may have further details.
====

The first +YYYY+ is the year the file was originally published. The original
date is important for two reasons: when two entities claim copyright ownership
of the same work, the earlier claim generally prevails; and copyright
expiration is generally calculated from the original publication date.
footnote:[
See the U.S. Copyright Office's https://www.copyright.gov/comp3/["Compendium
of U.S. Copyright Office Practices"], particularly "Chapter 2200: Notice of
Copyright", sections 2205.1(A) and 2205.1(F), or
https://techwhirl.com/updating-copyright-notices/["Updating Copyright
Notices"] for a more readable summary.
]

If the file is modified in later years, add +-YYYY+ with the most recent year
of modification. Even though Pacemaker is an ongoing project, copyright notices
are about the years of 'publication' of specific content.

Copyright notices are intended to indicate, but do not affect, copyright
'ownership', which is determined by applicable laws and regulations. Authors
may put more specific copyright notices in their commit messages if desired.