[copyleft-next] Platonic ideals, restrictiveness and weaker copyleft (was Re: GPLv2/v3 compatibility?)

Richard Fontana fontana at sharpeleven.org
Tue Jul 31 01:35:30 UTC 2012


On 07/30/2012 07:26 PM, Bradley M. Kuhn wrote:
> Richard Fontana wrote:
>> some found this objectionable on policy grounds, because they didn't
>> like the idea that a downstream licensee could impose a more restrictive
>> license than they themselves had chosen upstream.
> 
> So, this is an interesting point on this issue.  Is that really why those
> who objected had issue? After all, any weaker copyleft license can allow
> for such restrictions by downstream.
>
> Does your point here relate to what has been called the "copyleft
> perfection theory of GPLv2"?
> 
> I think most people who generally like copyleft have a Platonic ideal in
> their minds of what their preferred copyleft license is, and then
> selectively read a given copyleft license to have those properties.
> 
> Having lived myself mostly in the reality of seeking compliance for GPLv2,
> but preferring GPLv3, I've had to dissuade myself of my Platonic ideals of
> copyleft and just focus on what the license actually says.
> 
> I wonder if copyleft-next can actually address this issue at all.  Is its
> goal to be the Platonic ideal of copyleft for everyone?  

Assuming I understand what you mean here, no, that is not a goal. I
don't see how it is achievable, because we know that there are
multiple, clashing ideals of copyleft -- at least if we mean strong
copyleft.

At most, in allowing for outbound compatibility with GPLv2+/AGPLv3+, I
believe copyleft-next accommodates the views of those who believe that
one or more of those licenses more closely approximates their own
ideal of what copyleft should mean.

> (Sorry, I hope in advance philosophical debate is appropriate on this
> list.)

I certainly consider such debate appropriate.

- Richard




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