CONTRIBUTING.md

# Contributing to Grim

Thank you for considering a contribution to **Grim**! This document explains the contribution process and the **Contributor License Agreement (CLA)**.

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## **1. How to Contribute**
1. Fork the repository and create a new branch.
2. Make your changes.
3. Open a pull request (PR) with a clear description of your contribution.
4. Ensure your PR follows the project’s code style and includes tests if necessary.
5. Once your PR is reviewed and merged, you have officially contributed!

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## **2. Contributor License Agreement (CLA)**

By contributing to Grim, you agree to the **Contributor License Agreement (CLA)**:

### **1. Grant of License**
You grant the Grim project owner(s) a **perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license** to:
- Use, modify, distribute, and sublicense your contributions under:
  - The **GNU General Public License (GPL) v3**.
  - A **separate commercial license** for proprietary users.

### **2. Contributor’s Free Commercial Rights**
As a contributor, you are granted a **free, perpetual commercial license** to use Grim **in your own proprietary projects**.  
This means:
- You can **use, modify, and distribute Grim in closed-source software** without paying for a commercial license.
- You are **not required to open-source your modifications** (unless distributing Grim itself).

### **3. What Qualifies as a "Meaningful Contribution"?**
To be eligible for a free commercial license, a contributor must:
1. Submit **at least one pull request (PR) that is merged** into the Grim repository.
2. The contribution must be **substantial**, meaning:
   - It **is not** a minor typo fix, formatting change, or trivial improvement.
   - It adds, optimizes, or improves functionality in a **meaningful way** (e.g., new features, bug fixes, performance improvements, documentation that significantly enhances usability).
3. The contribution must be **accepted into the main repository** (rejected PRs do not count).

### **4. Contributor’s Warranties**
You confirm that:
- You **own or have the right** to contribute the code.
- Your contribution **does not violate any third-party rights** (e.g., patents, copyrights, or trade secrets).
- Your contribution is **licensed freely under the terms above**.

### **5. No Obligation to Use**
The Grim project is **not obligated** to accept or use your contributions.

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## **3. Licensing Summary**
| License Type | Who Can Use It? | Source Code Requirements | Can Be Used in Proprietary Software? |
|-------------|---------------|------------------------|----------------------------------|
| **GPL v3 (Free)** | Open-source projects, individuals | Must be open-source | ❌ No |
| **Commercial License (Paid)** | Businesses, proprietary software | No open-source requirement | ✅ Yes |
| **Contributor License (Free)** | Contributors with meaningful PRs | No open-source requirement | ✅ Yes |

By submitting a pull request, you **agree to this CLA**.

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## **4. Need a Commercial License?**
If you are not a contributor but want to use Grim in a proprietary project, contact:

**Email:** [[email protected]]  
**Website:** [grimui.com]  

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## **5. Questions?**
If you have any questions about contributing or licensing, feel free to **open an issue** or **contact us**.