I just received a notification about the following issue from a project I contributed in the past: Can it be a open source project? (Since the source code is already open, I think the title should be Can it be a free software project?)
I was surprised by the following paragraph:
By this project being on Github, I am allowed to fork it by the Github TOS (Terms Of Service). However I am not allowed to create derivative works from it (pull requests). Meaning I cannot fork this repository, change its code and perform pull requests without the danger/liability of being prosecuted by violating the
All rights reserved
copyright granted by berne convention law.
This reads quite concerning. Does this mean:
- if someone creates an open source repository on Github without license information,
- and I blindly contribute by forking, modifying and creating a pull request
... does this mean, I am violating copyright? I'm mainly confused about the all rights reserved copyright granted by the berne convention law, what does this exactly mean in this case?