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copyleft-next/README.md
Richard Fontana e26f96dec9 Updated disclaimerese in README.md.
2012-07-07 13:32:12 -04:00

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GPL.next

GPL.next is an experimental fork of the GNU General Public License, version 3. Contributions of patches, ideas, and criticism are welcome. Forks in the GitHub sense are encouraged. The goal of this effort is to develop an improved strong copyleft free software license. Needless to say, no one should actually use a development version of GPL.next as an actual license.

This is not an effort endorsed by the Free Software Foundation or the GNU Project. This is also not an effort associated in any way with (e.g.) Red Hat, the Software Freedom Conservancy, or any other corporate entity. Contributors are expected to participate in their individual capacity.

The FSF has asserted copyright in the text of the GNU GPLv3. However, the FSF has expressly authorized (though discouraged) modified versions of the GNU GPL, subject to certain conditions: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#ModifyGPL

Every effort shall be made to make this fork compatible with all existing (and future) versions of the GNU GPL, which addresses one of the FSF's concerns about modified versions of the GNU GPL.

The meta-license from the FSF stated in its FAQ shall be the license of all versions of the GPL.next license text (to the extent that such versions retain any copyrightable material from versions of the GNU GPL in which the FSF has asserted copyright). Based on the FSF FAQ, that meta-license may be stated as follows:

  • Everyone has permission to use terms from any version of the GNU GPL (with or without modifications) in creating a new license text, without any restriction, other than these requirements: (1) the license must be "call[ed] ... by another name"; (2) no existing version of a GNU license Preamble may be included; and (3) if the instructions-for-use at the end of the GNU GPL are copied or adapted, they must be modified "enough to make it clearly different in wording and not mention GNU".

The name "GPL.next" is considered to be "another name" in the sense meant in this meta-license. (It would be a violation of the meta-license to use the "GNU" name, of course.) The "G" in "GPL" does not stand for "GNU", but "General"; "GPL" means "license to (or for) the general public", and is justifiably regarded as the earliest generic term for a FLOSS license.

A couple of people have nevertheless questioned use of the name "GPL.next" on the apparent assumption that the FSF holds a proprietary interest in the initialism "GPL". If this represents general sentiment and/or the view of RMS, the name of the project, and the name of the associated draft license, will certainly be changed with all speed. ("Copyleft.next" has been suggested as an alternative name by one critic and potential participant, but other suggestions are welcome.)

All copyrightable materials included in this project, other than any copied or adapted portions of GNU license texts and except where otherwise indicated, are dedicated to the public domain to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, pursuant to the Creative Commons CC0 Universal Public Domain Dedication 1.0 (see the file CC0 for details).