Bradley M. Kuhn, the founder of the Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) and former director of the Free Software Foundation, and Richard Fontana, one of the three key authors of the GPLv3 license (the other two are Richard Stallman and Eben Moglen) and former director of the Open Source Initiative (OSI), announced the resumption of work on the Copyleft-next license. The development of the new license began in 2012 under the name GPL.next, but the project stalled in 2016.
The project's goal is to develop a new generation copyleft license that will replace GPLv3, taking into account modern realities and the needs of corporations that promote free projects. It is noted that GPLv3 has reached 18 years, and GPLv2 has been around for 34 years, highlighting the need within the community to revisit the application of strict copyleft.
The text of the Copyleft-next license is based on GPLv3, stripped of unnecessary complexities and restrictions, which has improved compatibility with permissive licenses and achieved portability with projects under the Apache license. The license has been significantly shortened and simplified for comprehension (for instance, the introduction with the Free Software Foundation's policy, the appendix with application explanations, and mentions of redundant and outdated compromises have been removed).
One of the fundamental differences from existing copyleft licenses is the 'Copyleft Sunset' clause, which abolishes the copyleft compliance requirements 15 years after the first publication of a work under the Copyleft-next license. Specifically, after 15 years, the license turns permissive, as Sections 3-5 concerning the distribution of derivative products under the Copyleft-next license, the prohibition on imposing additional restrictions, and the mandatory availability of source code during the distribution of binary builds cease to apply.
Another atypical innovation is the nullification of copyleft protection in the case of dual licensing of a project â under Copyleft-next and a commercial license. If a product is additionally provided under a commercial license or under terms that contradict the criteria of OSI or the Free Software Foundation, then in the free version of the product, Sections 3-5, ensuring the copyleft protection of the work, cease to apply (the license turns permissive).
Among the features of Copyleft-next, it is also worth mentioning the revocation of the license in case of violation of usage conditions (for example, if the distribution of a derivative product begins without providing access to the source code). A timeframe of 13 days is given to correct the violation. The license is also revoked from individuals who initiate a lawsuit for patent infringement (except for counterclaims) that intersects with a project under the Copyleft-next license.
Burimi: opennet.ru
