| # Bytecode Alliance Organizational Code of Conduct (OCoC) |
| |
| *Note*: this Code of Conduct pertains to organizations' behavior. Please also see the [Individual Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md). |
| |
| ## Preamble |
| |
| The Bytecode Alliance (BA) welcomes involvement from organizations, |
| including commercial organizations. This document is an |
| *organizational* code of conduct, intended particularly to provide |
| guidance to commercial organizations. It is distinct from the |
| [Individual Code of Conduct (ICoC)](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md), and does not |
| replace the ICoC. This OCoC applies to any group of people acting in |
| concert as a BA member or as a participant in BA activities, whether |
| or not that group is formally incorporated in some jurisdiction. |
| |
| The code of conduct described below is not a set of rigid rules, and |
| we did not write it to encompass every conceivable scenario that might |
| arise. For example, it is theoretically possible there would be times |
| when asserting patents is in the best interest of the BA community as |
| a whole. In such instances, consult with the BA, strive for |
| consensus, and interpret these rules with an intent that is generous |
| to the community the BA serves. |
| |
| While we may revise these guidelines from time to time based on |
| real-world experience, overall they are based on a simple principle: |
| |
| *Bytecode Alliance members should observe the distinction between |
| public community functions and private functions — especially |
| commercial ones — and should ensure that the latter support, or at |
| least do not harm, the former.* |
| |
| ## Guidelines |
| |
| * **Do not cause confusion about Wasm standards or interoperability.** |
| |
| Having an interoperable WebAssembly core is a high priority for |
| the BA, and members should strive to preserve that core. It is fine |
| to develop additional non-standard features or APIs, but they |
| should always be clearly distinguished from the core interoperable |
| Wasm. |
| |
| Treat the WebAssembly name and any BA-associated names with |
| respect, and follow BA trademark and branding guidelines. If you |
| distribute a customized version of software originally produced by |
| the BA, or if you build a product or service using BA-derived |
| software, use names that clearly distinguish your work from the |
| original. (You should still provide proper attribution to the |
| original, of course, wherever such attribution would normally be |
| given.) |
| |
| Further, do not use the WebAssembly name or BA-associated names in |
| other public namespaces in ways that could cause confusion, e.g., |
| in company names, names of commercial service offerings, domain |
| names, publicly-visible social media accounts or online service |
| accounts, etc. It may sometimes be reasonable, however, to |
| register such a name in a new namespace and then immediately donate |
| control of that account to the BA, because that would help the project |
| maintain its identity. |
| |
| For further guidance, see the BA Trademark and Branding Policy |
| [TODO: create policy, then insert link]. |
| |
| * **Do not restrict contributors.** If your company requires |
| employees or contractors to sign non-compete agreements, those |
| agreements must not prevent people from participating in the BA or |
| contributing to related projects. |
| |
| This does not mean that all non-compete agreements are incompatible |
| with this code of conduct. For example, a company may restrict an |
| employee's ability to solicit the company's customers. However, an |
| agreement must not block any form of technical or social |
| participation in BA activities, including but not limited to the |
| implementation of particular features. |
| |
| The accumulation of experience and expertise in individual persons, |
| who are ultimately free to direct their energy and attention as |
| they decide, is one of the most important drivers of progress in |
| open source projects. A company that limits this freedom may hinder |
| the success of the BA's efforts. |
| |
| * **Do not use patents as offensive weapons.** If any BA participant |
| prevents the adoption or development of BA technologies by |
| asserting its patents, that undermines the purpose of the |
| coalition. The collaboration fostered by the BA cannot include |
| members who act to undermine its work. |
| |
| * **Practice responsible disclosure** for security vulnerabilities. |
| Use designated, non-public reporting channels to disclose technical |
| vulnerabilities, and give the project a reasonable period to |
| respond, remediate, and patch. [TODO: optionally include the |
| security vulnerability reporting URL here.] |
| |
| Vulnerability reporters may patch their company's own offerings, as |
| long as that patching does not significantly delay the reporting of |
| the vulnerability. Vulnerability information should never be used |
| for unilateral commercial advantage. Vendors may legitimately |
| compete on the speed and reliability with which they deploy |
| security fixes, but withholding vulnerability information damages |
| everyone in the long run by risking harm to the BA project's |
| reputation and to the security of all users. |
| |
| * **Respect the letter and spirit of open source practice.** While |
| there is not space to list here all possible aspects of standard |
| open source practice, some examples will help show what we mean: |
| |
| * Abide by all applicable open source license terms. Do not engage |
| in copyright violation or misattribution of any kind. |
| |
| * Do not claim others' ideas or designs as your own. |
| |
| * When others engage in publicly visible work (e.g., an upcoming |
| demo that is coordinated in a public issue tracker), do not |
| unilaterally announce early releases or early demonstrations of |
| that work ahead of their schedule in order to secure private |
| advantage (such as marketplace advantage) for yourself. |
| |
| The BA reserves the right to determine what constitutes good open |
| source practices and to take action as it deems appropriate to |
| encourage, and if necessary enforce, such practices. |
| |
| ## Enforcement |
| |
| Instances of organizational behavior in violation of the OCoC may |
| be reported by contacting the Bytecode Alliance CoC team at |
| [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). The |
| CoC team will review and investigate all complaints, and will respond |
| in a way that it deems appropriate to the circumstances. The CoC team |
| is obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of |
| an incident. Further details of specific enforcement policies may be |
| posted separately. |
| |
| When the BA deems an organization in violation of this OCoC, the BA |
| will, at its sole discretion, determine what action to take. The BA |
| will decide what type, degree, and duration of corrective action is |
| needed, if any, before a violating organization can be considered for |
| membership (if it was not already a member) or can have its membership |
| reinstated (if it was a member and the BA canceled its membership due |
| to the violation). |
| |
| In practice, the BA's first approach will be to start a conversation, |
| with punitive enforcement used only as a last resort. Violations |
| often turn out to be unintentional and swiftly correctable with all |
| parties acting in good faith. |