# Collaboration agreement

The CORSIKA project very much welcomes all collaboration and
contributions. The aim of the CORSIKA project is to create a
scientific software framework as a fundamental tool for research. The
collaboration agreement and the licensing model are based on the
guidelines layed out by HSF
[[1]](https://hepsoftwarefoundation.org/activities/licensing.html) or
CERN
[[2]](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwiLqKG00dXdAhUOZFAKHdIwAh4QFjAAegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Findico.cern.ch%2Fcategory%2F4251%2Fattachments%2F101%2F505%2FOSL-2012-01-Open_Source_Licences_at_CERN-Short_version.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1n4S0PQCSeE6wbdfdhKDqF),
[[3]](http://legal.web.cern.ch/licensing/software), and follow the
examples of other big scientific software projects.

The CORSIKA project consists of the contributions from the scientific
community and individuals in a best effort to deliver the best
possible computing performance and physics output. 
The MCnet guidelines developed by [www.montecarlonet.org](www.montecarlonet.org) 
are copied in [MCNET_GUIDELINES](MCNET_GUIDELINES) -- they provide a very good 
additional scope that contributors should read and consider. 

All possible
liability and licensing question are only handled by the adopted
software license.

## The software license of the CORSIKA project
The license adopted for the CORSIKA project is the explicit copyleft
license GPLv3, as copied in full in the file
[LICENSE](LICENSE). Each source file of the CORSIKA project contains a
short statement of the copyright and this license. Each binary or
source code release of CORSIKA must contain the file LICENSE. The
code, documentation and content in the folder [ThirdParty](ThirdParty)
is not integral part of the CORSIKA project and can be based on, or
include, other licenses, which must be compatible with GPLv3. Check the
content of this folder for details and additional license information. It depends on the configuration of
the build system to what extend this code is used to build CORSIKA.

## Who is the "copyright holder"
For legal reasons and the ability to maintain the CORSIKA project
effectively over a very long lifespan of several decades, all
contributors are required to transfer their copyright to the CORSIKA
Project. Of course you will be duly credited and your name will appear
on the contributors page and in the [AUTHORS](AUTHORS) file shipped
with every binary and source distribution. The copyright transfer is
necessary to be able to effectively defend the project in case of
litigation. The copyright holder may change, if decided by the CORSIKA
Project. The current copyright holder is the CORSIKA Project
corsika-project@lists.kit.edu, with the current chair person 
Ralf Ulrich (KIT) ralf.ulrich@kit.edu.

## Definition of a "contributor"
Contributor is a person of whom at least one merge request was
accepted for the master branch of the CORSIKA project at
[https://gitlab.ikp.kit.edu/AirShowerPhysics/corsika](https://gitlab.ikp.kit.edu/AirShowerPhysics/corsika).
All contributors will be co-listed and credited as (software) authors
of the CORSIKA project, as well as listed indefinitely in the
[AUTHORS](AUTHORS) file. Contributors should add their name and
contact data to the [AUTHORS](AUTHORS) file, as part of one of their
merge requests. This file is always distributed together with all
source and binary releases.  If you contribute to any non-master
branch, you can add your name to the [AUTHORS](AUTHORS) file of this
particular branch, but all official releases are normally performed
via the master branch.

If you want to contribute, you need to read
[the GUIDELINES](CONTRIBUTING.md) and comply with these rules, or help to
improve them.


## The CORSIKA Project panel
The CORSIKA Project panel makes all decisions for the CORSIKA
Project. It can also change the
[COLLABORATION\_AGREEMENT](COLLABORATION\_AGREEMENT.md), the
[GUIDELINES](CONTRIBUTING.md) or any other structure or document relevant for the CORSIKA Project.

The CORSIKA Project *panel* consists (October 2018) of
   
  * Hans Dembinski (MPG)
  * Ralph Engel (KIT)
  * Dieter Heck (KIT)
  * Tanguy Pierog (KIT)
  * Maximilian Reininghaus (KIT)
  * Felix Riehn (LIP)
  * Ralf Ulrich (KIT)
  * Darko Veberic (KIT)
  
and can be contacted via corsika-project@lists.kit.edu.  The chair
person of the CORSIKA Project is Ralf Ulrich (KIT). Members of the
CORSIKA Project *panel* can be *Maintainer* of the CORSIKA Project in
gitlab at
[https://gitlab.ikp.kit.edu/AirShowerPhysics/corsika](https://gitlab.ikp.kit.edu/AirShowerPhysics/corsika),
and have special responsibilities also for this reason. 

### Changing to a different license, for parts, or the complete project

The CORSIKA Project panel can change the license for parts or the entire project in general or for individual releases.

### Planning and performing releases

The CORSIKA Project panel decides on releases of the software, and about the content of it. 

### Changes to the Collaboration Agreement

The CORSIKA Project panel decides on changes to the Collaboration
agreement.