hbr/HBR.md
2020-02-07 15:46:46 -05:00

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Hindering Backchannels Rule
===========================
A nontrivial number of interesting collaborative FLOSS legal endeavors
have been operated in a relatively nontransparent and methodologically
suboptimal manner. The following norms of project participation are
designed to discourage this tendency. These norms shall be known
informally as the "Hindering Backchannels Rule":
1. Contributions in the form of word-processing documents (even if
in a free/open standard format), "redlined" or otherwise, are
unacceptable and will be deleted immediately.
2. No private mailing lists (including but not limited to those
governed by the so-called [Chatham House Rule][]) will be used by
this project. Public archiving of mailing lists used by this
project is strongly encouraged; however, archives are not
mandatory and partial archiving is permitted.
3. Except in extraordinary cases, private telephone calls, private
teleconferences, private in-person meetings, and private email
communications shall not be used to discuss *substantive*
development of this project. Should such private communications
nevertheless occur, participants in such communications are
expected to publish summaries of any relevant discussions in a
manner or medium accessible to the general net public.
4. Contributing by informal suggestions or proposals made in a
posting to the project mailing list is welcome. However, suggestions
or proposals that are made in the form of top-posted replies to
quoted earlier mailing list postings by others are strongly
discouraged.
5. Criticisms of, or proposed changes to, the Hindering Backchannels Rule
are welcome, though such criticisms or proposals must themselves
comply with the Hindering Backchannels Rule as it exists at the time the
criticism or proposal is made.
[Chatham House Rule]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_House_Rule