website/conservancy/content/copyleft-compliance/help.html

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{% block submenuselection %}HelpComply{% endblock %}
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<h1 id="ourwork">Help Defend Software Freedom and Rights</h1>

<p>Folks often ask us how they can help us defend the software freedoms and
  rights that copyleft makes possible.  There are lots of ways to help and we
  believe that the entire public can help.</p>

<h2 id="request">Request Source Code</h2>

<p>All versions of the GPL and LGPL allow companies to make an <em>offer</em>
    for Complete, Corresponding Source (CCS) <em>rather than</em> giving you
    the CCS outright with the product.  Sadly, <strong>many</strong>
    companies make an offer with no intention of actually providing that CCS
    to you.  As consumers, you have a right to that source code.  Look in
    every manual and &ldquo;Legal Notices&rdquo; section of every product you
    buy.  If you see an offer, follow the instructions and <strong>request
    that CCS</strong>!  If you don't get it, or they give you the run-around,
    then <a href="#reporting">report the violation to us</a>!</p>

<h2 id="reporting">Reporting GPL Violations To Us</h2>

<p>If you are aware of a license violation or compliance issue regarding any
  copyleft license, such as the AGPL, GPL or LGPL,
  please <a href="mailto:compliance@sfconservancy.org">contact us by email at
  &lt;compliance@sfconservancy.org&gt;</a>.</p>

<!--- FIXME: bkuhn is rewriting this blog post fresh the weekend of --
      2020-07-18 so we need not link to ebb.org anymore when we roll out
      these changes ... which never happened, still need to do that -->

<p>If you think you've found a GPL violation, we encourage you to
   read <a href="http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2009/11/08/gpl-enforcement.html">this
   personal blog post by our Policy Fellow, Bradley M. Kuhn</a>, about good
   practices in discovering and reporting GPL violations.</p>

<h2 id="sustain">Donate to Sustain This Work</h2>

<p>Finally, Conservancy welcomes <a href="#donate-box"
  class="donate-now">donations</a> in support of our copyleft compliance work,
  and we encourage you to become a <a href="/sustainer/">an official
  Sustainer of Software Freedom Conservancy</a>. </p>
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