Protecting users against confusing licensing
333 | Fri 02 Aug 5:30 p.m.–6:15 p.m.
Presented by
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Craig Topham
https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board/
Craig is the copyright and licensing associate for the Free Software
Foundation. As a part of the FSF's licensing and compliance team Craig
serves as a steward of the GNU General Public License along with many
programs and services the team provides. Besides the desire to see the
free software movement thrive, Craig also envisions a world where
everyone's inner light shines bright
Craig Topham
https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board/
Abstract
The Free Software Foundation's (FSF) GNU family of General Public Licenses (GPL) is renowned for protecting user freedom. It's concerning and confusing that some people alter licenses with restrictions that attempt to render software nonfree. The GPLs v3.0 Section 7 allows the removal of unauthorized restrictions. The FSF may also enforce its copyrights and trademarks to stop unauthorized alterations to FSF's licenses. This presentation covers the operation of Sec.7 and how FSF's copyright and trademark rights can help to protect against confusing use of the GPL.
There are some great features in GPLv3/AGPLv3 Section 7, including the ability
to create Additional Permissions — this allows licensors to use the v3
licenses to create fine-tuned weaker copylefts: even LGPLv3 itself is an
Additional Permission set applied to GPLv3. The licenses also permit removal
of “further restrictions” that take away users' rights.
We've faced however a complex confluence of events related to Section 7. The community of
copyleft experts are discussing and considering what to do. Specifically, we
have seen more than once vendors confusing their users: by adding further
restrictions to GPLv3/AGPLv3 in a way that confuses users about their right to
remove those “further restrictions” and the right to exercise their full
software freedom.
The Free Software Foundation's (FSF) GNU family of General Public Licenses (GPL) is renowned for protecting user freedom. It's concerning and confusing that some people alter licenses with restrictions that attempt to render software nonfree. The GPLs v3.0 Section 7 allows the removal of unauthorized restrictions. The FSF may also enforce its copyrights and trademarks to stop unauthorized alterations to FSF's licenses. This presentation covers the operation of Sec.7 and how FSF's copyright and trademark rights can help to protect against confusing use of the GPL. There are some great features in GPLv3/AGPLv3 Section 7, including the ability to create Additional Permissions — this allows licensors to use the v3 licenses to create fine-tuned weaker copylefts: even LGPLv3 itself is an Additional Permission set applied to GPLv3. The licenses also permit removal of “further restrictions” that take away users' rights. We've faced however a complex confluence of events related to Section 7. The community of copyleft experts are discussing and considering what to do. Specifically, we have seen more than once vendors confusing their users: by adding further restrictions to GPLv3/AGPLv3 in a way that confuses users about their right to remove those “further restrictions” and the right to exercise their full software freedom.