Questions CopyLeft

Last edited by John Rizzo on 2008-04-01 21:08


Any registered user may add a question to the JavaBlackBelt DB. Here we explain our Copyleft policy that you must agree with in order to put your question on our site.

JavaBlackBelt.com is further referred as "JBB". You are referred to as "the author".

Summary

  • JBB must:
    • display the author name with the question.
  • JBB may:
    • restrict the visibility of the question to specific user groups.
    • remove/modify the question at any time.
    • profit from the question (your question can be used in an online paid test)
  • Author may:
    • remove his/her question within the month of its introduction (time limit)
    • deny authorship at any time (permanent)
  • Author MAY NOT:
    • introduce questions of which s/he is not the author (e.g. questions taken from books, CDs, web sites, forums, etc.)

Content

JBB must mention the author

  • JBB includes the author's name every time the question is included in a test.
    This may exclude:
    • listings of questions
    • exams via the Corporate Edition (vs the public community area)
    • exams on paper
    • exams sold/rented to third parties.
  • From the place on the question where the author is displayed, a hyperlink will lead to a JBB page with: some details about the author, some appropriate (non-offensive) text introduced by the author - at the discretion of JBB - any information about the author's activity on JBB (statistics, etc.)
  • JBB reserves the right to discern what is offensive and may remove offensive information/links without notice.

JBB may restrict the visibility of questions to specific user groups.

Typically, a question is visible to anybody. Questions that have reached the maturity zone ("exam") and that are part of an exam, will require people to officially take the exam to view the question. Taking an exam may require giving contribution points.
JBB will give contribution point(s) for this question to the author.
An author can always view his/her questions with no restriction.

Removing a question

The author may remove his/her question until somebody has affected it: proposed a modification, a comment or passed a test that includes it. When the question has been improved by many contributors it would not be fair to these contributors to remove the question.
JBB can remove any question from the site.

Modifying a question

  • JBB has the right to modify a question. Most of time this will be done to improve the question (grammar, technical accuracy, clarity, etc.)
  • The author should be prompted (on JBB site or by mail) when one of his question is modified (although the author may deactivate this feature) and may accept/refuse the modification. A moderator of JBB may force a modification (typically for a non-responsive author).
  • The author may deny (permanently) being the author of a modified (or not) question anytime. After that, JBB users may not see any links or references to the author. The question has no author. JBB may allocate the question to another author (for instance a person who modified the question).


Reclaiming authorship

  • Any JBB user may reclaim (through the forum) being the author of a question submitted by somebody else. JBB will try to sort out the issue peacefully taking into account the possibility of coincidence.
  • An author who has multiple questions reclaimed by multiple users may see the litigious questions removed (and eventually reintroduced by the other authors). JBB may ban such an author. Obviously, the author may introduce a case to JBB proving his/her genuine authorship.
  • A user who reclaims questions from multiple authors may be banned for "abusive reclaim" according to JBB's judgment.

If/when JBB profits from a question ?

  • JBB may gain a profit commerically for proposing tests to customers including authors' question. JBB will offer that test for free to significant contributors.
  • JBB may publish documents, books or CDs (with the help of an established publisher) containing the questions.
  • JBB may resell the question to third parties to use (or resell) with a branding other than JBB.

Ownership

  • The author may still (also) publish the original (unmodified by the JBB community) version of his/her questions anywhere else (other web site, CD, book, etc.)
  • The initial or original version of a question introduced by the author is the property of the author (even though JBB may publish it as mentioned above.) All subsequent versions of the initial, original question (edited by the author on JBB or by other JBB contributors) becomes the property of JBB exclusively.

Blah-blah

  • This is the JBB author agreement v0.99.
  • This is a general JBB author agreement. JBB is free to have other agreements with specific authors.
  • No user (authors included) may use the JavaBlackBelt name or brand, or create any ambiguity that he is part of the JBB team (unless JBB explicitly grants him that right expressed in writing.)
  • If this agreement text changes (new version), the author is prompted the next time he introduces a question. He may refuse the new agreement (and JBB may refuse his new questions). If the author accepts the new agreement, then the new agreement supersedes the previous one and is valid for all the author's questions submitted to JBB (before and after the new agreement).
  • JBB will act in good faith (do its best) to enforce these statements except when they are not enforcable due to technical reasons, under which circumstances JBB cannot be held liable or responsible.
  • The author recognizes that the only competent court for any litigation involving or relating to JavaBlackBelt is the Court of Brussels, Belgium.