clarify which sections of the CoC are pertinent?

[tieguy]

The CoC (roughly) can be broken into:

• pledge/background/goals
• community behavior
• use of the software
• use of data

(emphasis mine)

The license says:

You must use this software in compliance with the ml5.js Code of Conduct ...

(emphasis again mine)

If an employee of a company violates the parts of the CoC that deal with community behavior, but my company's "use of the software" does not violate the section of the CoC that deals with use of the software, is the company in violation of the license?

I think it would be clarifying if the license either indicated that I must "comply with" the CoC (i.e., including community behavior and use of data) or that I must "use this software in compliance with Section 'Use of ml5.js and Accompanying Materials' in the ml5.js Code of Conduct".

The broad approach has obvious benefits (more behavior covered!) but will make a lot of attorneys very nervous (can they really get the company to invest in/use software that any asshole employee can screw up?)

The narrow approach covers less behavior, but may strike a better balance with providing user predictability, since users evaluating the license have a pretty good sense of what they intend to use the software for.

[mwweinberg]

I am inclined towards the more narrow interpretation, essentially for the reasons you suggest. That being said, I am very curious to hear from the rest of the ml5.js team about how they think about this. Does using the ml5.js license to sanction CoC violations in the community - ones that are not directly connected to the use of the library - feel just?

To push the discussion with specific hypotheticals, if someone violates the CoC at an ml5.js event should they have the copyright license on all of their code that uses the library revoked? What if they violate the CoC at a gathering that has nothing to do with ml5.js?

[mwweinberg]

We are in the process of adding explicit language to the CoC regarding this. The current thinking is that personal behavior and the nature of projects are essentially distinct. People who personally comply with the CoC can still create works that violate the CoC, and people who personally violate the CoC may still have works that comply with it.