Individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA)
An Individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA) is an agreement in which an individual grants a project or company a license to use, modify, and redistribute their contributed work, and confirms they have the right to make that grant. Use this when an individual contributes code, documentation, or other work to your open-source project or codebase, and you need clear, written confirmation of what rights the project receives to use, modify, and redistribute that contribution.
What's included
A ready-to-use individual contributor license agreement (cla) with signature fields already placed for Project/Company and Contributor. Fill in the bracketed details (like [Company Name] or [Date]) using Docracy's built-in text editor, then send it out for signature.
This is a general template for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney to review it for your specific situation and jurisdiction before use.
Key clauses
- Definition of "contribution"
- Grant of copyright license to the project
- Grant of patent license covering the contribution
- Contributor's representations of originality and authority to contribute
- Disclaimer of warranty on the contributed work
- Governing law
What you'll fill in
[Project/Company Name][Contributor Name][Contributor Email or Username][Project Name/Repository][Effective Date][Governing State/Jurisdiction]Legal summary
Signing this CLA grants the named project or company a license to use and redistribute the contributor's submitted work and confirms the contributor had the right to make that contribution. Copyright and patent assignments carry real legal and tax complexity that varies by jurisdiction and by what's actually being contributed, so any project relying on this at scale should have it reviewed by a lawyer rather than treating this template as a complete answer.
Free for up to 2 signers, no account required. Need unlimited? Flat $10/month.
FAQ
Is this Individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA) legally binding?
Signing through Docracy uses a simple electronic signature (SES), which is legally recognized for everyday business agreements under laws like the U.S. ESIGN Act and the EU's eIDAS regulation. This is a general template, not legal advice — for high-stakes or regulated agreements, have a qualified attorney review it for your situation.
Who needs to sign this Individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA)?
This template includes signature fields for Project/Company and Contributor — already placed, so you just fill in the details and send.
Can I edit this Individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA) before sending it?
Yes — Docracy's editor lets you edit the text, add or remove signature fields, redact sections, and reorder pages before you send it.
Do I need an account to send this Individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA)?
No — it's free for up to 2 signers with no account required. Create a free account only if you want to save it to a dashboard or reuse it later.
Try it with an AI assistant
Paste one of these into ChatGPT, Claude, or your assistant of choice:
“Generate a filled Individual Contributor License Agreement using this template for a new open-source contributor.”
“Explain in plain language what rights this CLA gives the project over my code contribution.”
“Compare this CLA's patent license grant to what a typical open-source project might require.”
Why teams start with Docracy
“Docracy is a great product that I have tested and am using. It is easy to use, has good tools, is always up to date, and implements new features. Highly recommended.”— DACH Advisory
Free for up to 2 signers, no account required. Need unlimited? Flat $10/month.