CONTRIBUTOR LICENSE AGREEMENT
VyOS Contribution License Agreement (“Agreement”) describes the terms and conditions for your Contributions submitted to VyOS Project and is concluded between you (“You”) and VyOS Inc., a corporation registered under the laws of California and doing business as VyOS Networks (“VyOS Networks”)
The Agreement is for Your protection as a contributor as well as the protection of VyOS Networks and VyOS Users; and applies to all Contributions submitted by You to VyOS Networks. It does not change your rights to use your own Contributions for any other purpose. Please read it carefully before signing and keep a copy for Your records.
Please also note that in case You submit the Contributions on behalf of different companies and/or individuals, a separate contribution license agreement shall be concluded for each of such companies and/or individuals.
You accept the Agreement once You sign it or (in the absence of a signed agreement) as of the moment You submit the Contribution.
Except for the license granted herein to VyOS Networks and recipients of software distributed by VyOS Networks, You reserve all right, title, and interest in and to Your Contributions.
“Affiliate” shall mean any legal entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the other legal entity. For the purposes of this definition, "control" means (i) the power, direct or indirect, to cause the direction or management of such entity, whether by contract or otherwise, or (ii) ownership of fifty percent (50%) or more of the outstanding shares, or (iii) beneficial ownership of such entity. Any mention of VyOS Networks in this Agreement also includes its affiliates, where applicable, and vice versa.
"You" (or "Your") shall mean the copyright owner or legal entity authorized by the copyright owner that is making this Agreement with VyOS Networks. For legal entities, the entity making a Contribution and all its affiliates are considered to be a single Contributor.
"Contribution" shall mean any original work of authorship, including any modifications or additions to an existing work, that is intentionally submitted by You to VyOS Networks for inclusion in (or potential inclusion in), or documentation of, any of the products owned or managed by VyOS Networks (the "Work").
“Submit” means the act of uploading, transmission, submitting or distributing of a Contribution to VyOS Networks and/or its representative of either through any electronic, audiovisual, verbal, written or any other means, including electronic mailing lists, source code control systems, and issue tracking systems. For the purposes of this definition, "submitted" means any form of electronic, audiovisual, verbal, or written communication sent to VyOS Networks and/or its representatives, including but not limited to communication on electronic mailing lists, source code control systems, and issue tracking systems that are managed by, or on behalf of, VyOS Networks for the purpose of discussing and improving the Work, but excluding communication that is conspicuously marked or otherwise designated in writing by You as "Not a Contribution."
“VyOS Project” means any project owned, initiated or managed by VyOS Networks.
“Effective Date” means the date You execute this Agreement or the date You first submit a Contribution to VyOS Networks, whichever is earlier.
“Contribution Date” means the date You first submitted a given Contribution to VyOS Networks.
“VyOS Users” means the users of VyOS Project(s), including those who receive a given Contribution directly or indirectly from VyOS Networks.
2.1. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, You hereby grant to VyOS Networks, its licensees, and to recipients of software distributed by VyOS Networks a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable license:
(i) to use, copy, reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, sublicense, and publicly perform, publicly display the Contribution and any derivative works under any licensing terms (including without limitation open source licenses, proprietary, or commercial licenses, whether the Contribution is distributed in source code or compiled (binary) form) directly or via a third party; and
(ii) in relation to a patented Contribution, to make, commission, use, offer to sell, sell, import, and otherwise transfer the patented Contribution alone or in combination with one or more VyOS Projects.
2.2. License Scope and Term. VyOS Networks may distribute, sublicense, or otherwise make the Contribution (including any patent rights therein) available to VyOS Users, customers, and other third parties under any license terms, as determined in its sole discretion.
All licenses and rights granted under this Agreement commence as of the Effective Date.
2.3. If moral rights apply to the Contribution, to the maximum extent permitted by law, You waive and agree not to assert such moral rights against VyOS Networks or our successors in interest, or any of our licensees, either direct or indirect.
2.4. Other Rights Reserved. You retain all rights, title, and interest in the Contribution, except to the extent granted under this Agreement.
3.1. The licenses granted by You under this Agreement do not apply to materials provided by You to VyOS Networks that are clearly and prominently designated by You and brought to VyOS Networks’ attention as “Not a Contribution”.
3.2. Unacceptable Contributions. You may not make a Contribution or enter into this Agreement unless:
(a) you are at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, if higher), and
(b) you have the legal capacity and authority to enter into this Agreement and to grant the rights described herein.
3.3. You agree to follow the VyOS Projects’ contribution workflow, which includes acknowledging that this Agreement governs your submission rights and responsibilities.
3.3. You acknowledge and agree that the Contributions and information about them may be maintained indefinitely and disclosed publicly. This information may also include Your name or the name of a person and/or a company You act on behalf of.
3.4. Support. You may, but are not obliged, to provide support for Your Contributions. You may provide support for free or for a fee. Unless expressly agreed with VyOS Networks prior to provision of support, all such support is provided for free.
4.1. You represent and warrant that each of Your Contributions:
- Are and will remain an original work of authorship.
- To the best of Your knowledge, does not and will not infringe any third party’s copyright, trademark, patent, or other intellectual property rights.
- Includes the complete and correct details of any license, third-party license, patent, trademark, necessary attributions or other restriction associated with all or any part of Your Contribution. Should You wish to submit work that is not Your original creation (including code generated by an artificial intelligence system), You must (i) identify the source and any applicable license or restrictions to the best of Your ability, and (ii) mark the submission clearly (e.g., “Submitted on behalf of a third party: [name]” or “Includes code generated by [tool]”) where applicable".
- Complies and will continue to comply with all applicable laws, including export control laws and regulations.
- Does not contain malicious code, spyware, backdoors, or hidden files or software that would replicate, transmit, or activate itself without control or consent of a person operating computing equipment on which it resides, or that would alter, damage, or erase any data or computer programs without control or consent of a person operating the computing equipment on which it resides or is operative, or contain any key, lock, or node (except for license key) which (i) will disable, prevent, or reduce the function of any of the software or a user’s systems or (ii) will require maintenance.
- Has been reviewed to ensure that, if any portion was produced using an AI-based or generative tool (including large language models or code suggestion engines), the resulting content does not replicate protected third-party material and that You have taken reasonable steps to verify its originality and legal compatibility.
4.2. You represent and assure that You have sufficient intellectual property rights to the Contributions and are legally entitled to enter into this Agreement and grant the above licenses to them.
4.3. If You submit as a legal entity, You agree that a) Your employees, contractors, and representatives may submit Contributions on Your behalf; and b) the individual signing this Agreement on Your behalf has the necessary authority including the authority to bind You to the Agreement.
4.4. If You act on behalf of Your employer or other third party, You represent that You are authorized and have the right to submit the Contribution on behalf of Your employer or the mentioned third party.
4.5. You understand and acknowledge that nothing in this Agreement implies the obligations of VyOS Networks to include in the VyOS Projects or use another way any of the Contributions submitted under the Agreement. In case of inclusion of the Contributions in the VyOS Projects, VyOS Networks reserves the right to remove them at any moment as determined by VyOS Networks in its sole discretion.
4.6. You represent that each of the statements in this Agreement is true as of the effective date of this Agreement and as of each Contribution Date, and You are and will remain legally entitled to grant the rights described in this Agreement.
4.7. You agree to notify VyOS Networks of any facts or circumstances of which You become aware that would make these representations inaccurate in any respect.
You acknowledge that submitting code without sufficient rights — including code generated by automated or AI-based tools with uncertain or incompatible licensing — may expose the VyOS Project(s) to legal, security, or reputational risks. You agree that it is Your responsibility to ensure the originality and proper licensing of all Contributions prior to submission.
UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW, SPECIFICALLY AGREED IN WRITING, OR STATED IN THIS AGREEMENT, YOU PROVIDE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
7.1. Partnership. Nothing in this Agreement implies a partnership, an employment arrangement, joint venture, or similar arrangement.
7.2. Interpretation. Any heading, title, or paragraph summary is only for convenience and does not affect interpretation of this Agreement. Any reference to an inclusive word, such as ‘including’, is not comprehensive and refers to other items in that category. Defined terms include their grammatical variants.
7.3. Notice. In case of any questions and/or notices related to the Agreement You can reach out to VyOS Networks at [email protected].
7.4. Governing Law. This Agreement is governed by the laws of California, and the parties consent to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in the courts thereof. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remainder shall continue in effect.
7.5. Entire Agreement. This Agreement is the entire agreement between the parties, and supersedes any and all prior agreements, understandings, and communications, written or oral, between the parties relating to the subject matter hereof, unless otherwise defined in other agreement(s) between VyOS Networks and You. You agree to the terms of this Agreement by signing it or, if no separate signature is provided, by electronically indicating your consent through a GitHub pull request, issue comment, or other contribution mechanism that integrates with GitHub contribution workflows (including but not limited to CLA Assistant or similar tools). Such electronic confirmation shall constitute your binding acceptance of this Agreement.
7.6. Assignment. This Agreement may be assigned by VyOS Networks without any prior notice to You.