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0 pointstannhaeuser8y ago0 comments

I hope you're kidding. GitHub has no legal basis for transferring ownership, and it would be a publicity fiasco if they did. A "reasonable case to ownership" at best would allow to bring the case to court.

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6 comments · 3 top-level

2828833928y ago· 3 in thread

"Github transfers organizational ownership after owner becomes inactive"

Sounds fairly benign. Ownership transfers happen all across the web with, to give a few examples, subreddits, social media handles, messaging groups, etc. Why can't Github do the same?

lostapathy8y ago

Or alternatively, github could rename this org since the owner is no longer in contact and then let the currently active group have the name.

Nobody is giving away the current org - github would just be vacating the old name so somebody else can have it.

This is bound to become a bigger issue in the future as more and more names get used then fall into disuse.

tannhaeuserOP8y ago

IANAL, but apart from a private entity having such power being problematic (to say the least) who's going to put stuff on GitHub if it can be gamed to take away your control?

Edit: GH could also be in for liability claims should the original owner re-appear (at least in general, if not this particular case), and would need to check identity of the involved parties and whatnot, which is going to be very costly.

carussell8y ago

What's with all the legal bluster in your comments here? Not only do the liabilities you're trying to conjure up not exist, but this is not even the first occurrence of something like this happening with GitHub. They have a documented policy for freeing up inactive names. (Spoiler alert: it's allowed, and they've done it.)

icebraining8y ago

They don't need legal basis, it's their platform. You don't "own" an account. Plus, they do warn you:

"Account names may not be inactively held for future use. (...) Inactive accounts may be renamed or removed by GitHub staff at their discretion."

https://help.github.com/articles/name-squatting-policy/

ams61108y ago

I would agree, even in the case of a documented death, the heirs/estate would be the one to decide a transfer of ownership and to whom.

The lesson is again why it it so important for any organization or project to have a continuity plan and not to have any one person as a gatekeeper.

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