% Brief Introduction to the GNU General Public License % Bradley M. Kuhn % Monday 24 March 2014 # IANAL IANAL # My Affiliations + Formerly had John's job, Executive Director of FSF, years ago. + Currently: on Board of Directors of FSF. + President of Software Freedom Conservancy. # How These Orgs Relate to GPL? + FSF + Invented copyleft. + Authors & stewards of the GPL. + Holder of copyrights on many key GNU programs … + … and therefore enforcers of those copyrights. + Software Freedom Conservancy + Adviser on legal issues of copyright, etc. to Free Software projects. + Holder of some copyrights on its member projects. + Enforcer of GPL on behalf of many copyright holders in: + BusyBox, Samba, Mercurial, and the kernel named Linux. # How this Hour Will Go? + Materials presented will mix the simple & complex. + We cannot possibly cover the entire GPL in one hour. + Discuss: motivations, origins, then a few of GPL's sections. + I understand the mix of backgrounds in the audience. # A Restaurant's Lawyer? + Considering why you want to learn this. + What if your client was a restaurant? + What would you want to need to know? # Restaurant Lawyer: What'd You Study? + If you were a restaurant's lawyer: + Probably three areas of law you'd focus on: + building codes. + health and safety regulations. + tax regulations. + Who would want to hear from? # Restaurant Lawyer: What'd You Study? + Figure out the motivations behind the building code: + What parts are arcane and less important to inspectors? + How do inspections work? + What are the penalties? + Figure out the same for health & safety: + Who inspects, and when? + What's the health code say, and what checklist do inspectors use? + Is there any way the two interrelate? + Who is in charge of all this? + What was the purpose and intent of these regulations? # Why Listen To Us? + FSF: Understanding the purpose and intent of the GPL. + Conservancy & FSF: + both enforce the GPL. + if your client violates, you will hear from one of us.