Title: ASF CLA FAQ
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This page answers most of the common queries that we receive about our contribution agreements. 

* For other licensing questions, please see our [Licensing FAQ](../foundation/licensing.html).
* For non-licensing questions, please see our [General FAQ](//www.apache.org/foundation/preFAQ.html).

# Frequent Questions about ASF Contribution Agreements #

1.  [May I re-use (and modify) the ASF Contributor License Agreements
(CLAs) for my own purposes?](#CLA-Usage) 

1.  [What is the scope of patent grants made to the ASF?](#PatentScope) 

1.  [Are contributor's employers required to sign a CCLA?](#cclas-not-required)

1.  [I don't have a printer. How do I "print, sign, scan, and email" the license document?](#printer)

If none of the above addresses your query, please check the [resources at
the bottom of this page](#resources) for general information.

# Answers #

Here are the detailed answers for each of the questions above.

## May I re-use (and modify) the ASF Contributor License Agreements (CLAs) for my own purposes? ## {#CLA-Usage}

Yes, you are allowed to re-use and modify them. You just can't hold the ASF
legally responsible if these documents are not exactly what you intend them
to be. We recommend that you obtain your own legal advice so you know
exactly what you are getting yourself into.

And if you adapt these agreements for your purposes, you have to make
sure that the phrase 'Apache Software Foundation' or any confusingly
similar references or parts that specifically refer to the Apache
organisation do not appear in your version of the agreements (except to
note that your version is derived and differs from the original provided by
the ASF).


## What is the scope of patent grants made to the ASF? ## {#PatentScope}
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This is a four part question:

Q1:
:    If I own a patent and contribute to a Work, and, at the time my
     contribution is included in that Work, none of my patent's claims are
     subject to Apache's Grant of Patent License, is there a way any of
     those claims would later become subject to the Grant of Patent License
     solely due to subsequent contributions by other parties who are not
     licensees of that patent.

A1:
:    No.


Q2:
:    If at any time after my contribution, I am able to license other
     patent claims that would have been subject to Apache's Grant of Patent
     License if they were licenseable by me at the time of my contribution,
     do those other claims become subject to the Grant of Patent License?

A2:
:    Yes.


Q3:
:    If I own or control a licensable patent and contribute code to a
     specific Apache product, which of my patent claims are subject to
     Apache's Grant of Patent License?

A3:
:    The only patent claims that are licensed to the ASF are those you own
     or have the right to license that read on your contribution or on the
     combination of your contribution with the specific Apache product to
     which you contributed as it existed at the time of your contribution.
     No additional patent claims become licensed as a result of subsequent
     combinations of your contribution with any other software. Note,
     however, that licensable patent claims include those that you acquire
     in the future, as long as they read on your original contribution as
     made at the original time. Once a patent claim is subject to Apache's
     Grant of Patent License, it is licensed under the terms of that Grant
     to the ASF and to recipients of any software distributed by the ASF
     for any Apache software product whatsoever.


Q4:
:    What is an Apache product?

A4:
:    An Apache product is a body of software being developed by the ASF
     that the ASF intends to both alter and to publish as a separate line
     of releases.


##Are contributor's employers required to sign a CCLA? {#cclas-not-required}

Only if their employment situation necessitates that a CCLA be signed.
See section 4 of the ICLA for details.

Committers must sign an ICLA.  They make an individual claim that the code that
they contribute is theirs to license.  Reviewing their ICLA against their
employer's ownership interests, applicable state and national law, and specific
aspects of their employment contract and business policies will reveal that
they can or cannot make that claim regarding any particular commit to whichever
particular project they are committing in.

The CCLA is a backup document that the committer/ICLA signer may use to 
eliminate all of the ambiguity between all these conflicting laws, contracts,
policies and job assignments.  We've never required it, many committers
are confident of their individual representations under the ICLA, many other
committers find it reassuring that their company has backed up their own
ICLA with this umbrella document.

It is the ICLA signatory's call if it is required, but it isn't exactly an easy
call for many committers employed in the IT/Software industry.

Finally, see section 8 of the ICLA, which requires signers to notify the
Foundation when their status changes in ways that may require this to
be reassessed.

# I don't have a printer. How do I "print, sign, scan, and email" the license document? {#printer}

ICLA, CCLA, SGA, and Member license documents are PDF forms with entry form fields.
There is also space for a signature which cannot be typed.
Using a PDF editor will allow the submitter to fill and sign the forms without printing.
The precise steps needed depend on the operating system of the submitter.

**MacOSX users:** use your browser to navigate to the
[.pdf form](https://apache.org/licenses/contributor-agreements.html)
and download the form to a local file using the save-as function.
Open the file using **Preview**, the standard PDF viewer/editor. Fill the form fields using the keyboard.
For the signature, use the **Tools-Annotate-Signature** function to attach a signature. Save the filled form.
Open the email client and create a message to [secretary@apache.org](mailto:secretary@apache.org),
attach the filled form and send it to secretary.
Keep the filled form for your records.

**Apple iOS users:** use your browser to navigate to the
[.pdf form](https://apache.org/licenses/contributor-agreements.html)
and download the form using the **Files** feature. Open the form using **Files**, the standard file viewer.
Fill the form fields using the keyboard. For the signature, use the **Signature** function to attach
your signature. Save the filled form. **Share** the file to the email client and send the message with
the attached form to
[secretary@apache.org](mailto:secretary@apache.org).
Keep the filled form for your records.

**Android users** need a third party tool to fill and attach a signature. First, install a PDF tool
such as **Adobe Acrobat**. These instructions may differ somewhat if you are not using Adobe Acrobat.
Use your web browser to navigate to the
[.pdf form](https://apache.org/licenses/contributor-agreements.html)
and download the form to a local file. The file should automatically open in the PDF tool.
Fill the form fields using the keyboard. For the signature, use the **Edit** function and choose **Fill & Sign**
to attach a signature. Save the filled form. Share the file via **Share a copy** to the email client
and send the message with the attached form to
[secretary@apache.org](mailto:secretary@apache.org).
Keep the filled form for your records.

# Another Place to Look # {#resources}

If you have questions about The Apache Software Foundation, its projects,
or its software, we recommend the following link for more information or
assistance:

- The Foundation pre-FAQ: [Contact Apache
FAQ](http://www.apache.org/foundation/preFAQ.html) 

If you have a question specifically about the Apache license or
distribution of Apache software, and it has not been answered by this page,
please [contact the Legal Affairs Committee](//www.apache.org/legal/).