Is it OK to upload someone else's code to NPM?

Question

Per user recommendation, this question is based on an SO question.

ASX is a cool library I use for some of my projects, but it is not available on NPM.

I filed an issue on the GitHub repo asking to make it available on NPM, but I'm curious in theory what if the issue just sits there or is rejected?

The specific library is under the GNU GPL if it matters.

Since my machine's NPM profile shows I am the author of packages I upload, is it unethical to upload someone else's code? Or is it sufficient to credit them in the package description?

Per the NPM docs you can have multiple owners and supposedly there is only one level of access, but on the module page these people are listed as publisher and collaborators. This part is not clear to me from the publish docs... Is publisher the most recent publisher or is it the original publisher and everyone else is a collaborator?

Answer 1

The conduct page of the npm docs says:

Packages must not contain illegal or infringing content. You should only publish packages or other materials to the Service if you have the right to do so. This includes complying with all software license agreements or other intellectual property restrictions. For example, redistributing an MIT-licensed module with the copyright notice removed, would not be allowed. You will be responsible for any violation of laws or others’ intellectual property rights.

So publishing someone else's package would be permitted as long as you comply with the license.

The "publisher" is whoever uploaded the last version.