[copyleft-next] Limited-term copyleft

Richard Fontana fontana at sharpeleven.org
Thu Feb 14 03:40:27 UTC 2013


Does anyone think the idea of a limited-term copyleft -- particularly
given that copyleft-next is a software-oriented license -- is a
good/bad idea?

We're now a few years from the point where there could be 30-year-old
code under GPL-like licenses. I have found from $DAYJOB experience
that one occasionally has to deal with legal issues concerning
*really* old code (in a situation I dealt with today, from 1979;
admittedly that's unusual).

The idea would be to have the copyleft terms disappear after some
limited period far short of the statutory copyright term. 

This is of course conceptually similar to the Creative Commons
'Founder's Copyright' idea and is related to general criticisms of
present-day copyright term duration. 

If anyone thinks it's a good idea, what would be a good copyleft
duration? 15, 20, 25 years? 

Please do not hesitate to shoot this down.

- RF



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