After the "insert copyright headers in all files" edict is given, it isn't unusual to find empty files that are copyrighted. Config files placeholders in particular end up copyrighting the zero length file.
I worked at a company that didn't merely issue this edict, but attempted to enforce it technologically. Every file in every commit was checked for the presence of a prescribed style of copyright string (something along the lines of "Copyright (c) YYYY Acme Inc.").
For a lot of my time there, I was more operations than development. A lot of piddly-ass configuration files and other things no copyright could possibly exist for got copyright strings added just so I wouldn't have to remember to type "NO ACME COPYRIGHT" into every bloody commit message to bypass the hook.
