Hi all, I think we may have enough information to start evaluating what a reasonable model for supporting vendor HALs in NuttX should look like.
Based on the discussion, I see two possible models: 1. ASF-hosted HAL: Vendor provides an SGA and completes ASF IP clearance; the HAL is maintained under ASF/NuttX while the vendor retains rights to its original code. 2. Vendor-hosted HAL: Vendor retains and maintains the HAL in its own repository, with NuttX integrating and supporting it externally. Could we evaluate whether either or both of these models could work for NuttX, so that we can move forward with official vendor HAL support? Thanks, Binh -----Original Message----- From: Justin Mclean <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2026 6:24 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Proposal: host vendor HAL repositories under github.com/NuttX Hi, A few points in this thread about ASF policy need correcting. A software grant (SGA) is a licence, not a transfer of ownership. Espressif would keep the copyright and could keep using and licensing the HAL however it likes. The ASF does not become the sole owner. From https://www.apache.org/licenses/: "In all cases, contributors retain full rights to use their original contributions for any other purpose outside of Apache while providing the ASF and its projects the right to distribute and build upon their work within Apache." Espressif's CCLA is not enough on its own. It covers contributions from its listed employees, not an existing code base developed outside the ASF. Bringing esp-hal-3rdparty into an ASF repository needs a software grant from Espressif and IP clearance, see https://incubator.apache.org/ip-clearance/. The PMC does the paperwork and the Incubator approves it by lazy consensus. The PMC also needs to check the licences of any third-party code inside the HAL. github.com/NuttX is not controlled by the ASF, so it is not "under our control". Code the project maintains must be housed in ASF repositories, see https://infra.apache.org/project-repo-policy.html. That rules out NuttX committers maintaining vendor HALs there. Thanks, Justin
