This is a DRAFT press release. It has not been thouroughly fact checked and will not be released like this.
Draft text
WORLD #1 FREE SOFTWARE LICENSE, THE GPL, TO BE REVISED IN A PUBLIC PROCESS WELCOMED BY IRISH FREE SOFTWARE ORGANISATION
23 January 2006. A year-long public consultation has begun on the re-drafting of the most widely used Free Software licence: the GNU General Public Licence, known as the GPL.
The process was launched by the Free Software Foundation at an International Public Conference at MIT Boston, USA with first public draft text of version three of the GPL and the opening of a discussion forum. It is planned that the final version of GPLv3 will be released by March 2007.
Since the GPL's last revision more than 15 years ago, software development and the business of distributing software have changed dramatically. [th note: taken from FSF PR]. The legal and technical environments within which Free Software operates have undergone considerable change. The underlying philosophy and the guiding principles of the GPL remain the same, but will be updated for today's environment.
Although in widespread use across multiple jurisdictions, the GPL has proved itself to be remarkably robust. Despite two attempts (in Germany and the USA), the GPL has never been successfully challenged in the courts.
Two major issues will be addressed by GPLv3: software patents and digital rights management systems (DRM).
[th: this section needs complete re-writing] Although Europeans are currently 95%safe from software patents, other parts of the world are not so lucky, and Europeans cannot rely on still being safe a year or a decade from now. That depends on the EU's legislators.
In the USA and Japan, software developers and users are under constant threat of patent litigation. In the EU, if our legislators do not hold firm, our programmers too will be put in danger of software patents. The draft GPLv3 contains a clause which terminates your rights to use and modify the software if you bring a patent suit against someone else who modifies or distributes the software. Thus, people who use patents to attack Free Software developers shall lose the benefit of using Free Software.
[th: this section needs complete re-writing] A second example of a problem which should be addressed by GPLv3 is Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). DRM is a plan to put all computers under the control of current monopolies from the software and copyrighted entertainment industry. The draft of the GPLv3 has provisions to prevent GPL covered software from being usable for the purpose of enforcing DRM. It does this by requiring that if passwords are needed to control the software, they must be made available to the recipient of the software. This allows DRM to be used, but only when the software user has equal control over what the software does.
Ciaran O'Riordan of IFSO said at the GPLv3 launch in Boston:
"While IFSO are looking forward to participating in the process, we also have a responsibility to help other Irish stake holders to participate. During 2006 we will raise awareness about how Irish business and users of Free Software can get involved in this important consultation process."
Person#2 added
"Of all Free Software licences, the GPL has proven itself to be the most investment friendly. Making vendor lock-in and monopolies practically impossible, the GPL creates a level playing field where everyone is bound by the same rules. Updating the licence is necessary to preserve this strength."
About the GPL
The purpose of the GPL is to ensure that everyone who receives GPL-licenced software is free to study the software, free to modify the software or to have it modified for them by a third party, and is free to redistribute both the original software and any modifications. ??PERSON?? summarises these as "free to help yourself, and to cooperate with anyone you choose". Notable examples of software licenced by the GPL are the GNU/Linux operating system, Mozilla Firefox web browser and the OpenOffice office suite of applications.
About IFSO
[th note: why not use the standard "About IFSO" used in previous PR?]
IFSO was founded in January 2004 with the aims of promoting and protecting software which comes with the freedom to study it, modify it and redistribute it: Free Software. The founders of IFSO had been working together before then, primarily on the campaign against software patents. As well as the wider use of Free Software, IFSO seeks to build awareness of software freedom and its value. Independence, transparency, and the ability to cooperate and collaborate with others have provided the systems of freedom and trust which have lead to the development of the Free Software. Well known examples include the GNU/Linux operating system, the OpenOffice.org office suite, and the Mozilla Firefox web browser. IFSO works to ensure that new legislation does not restrict the writing, using, or distribution of Free Software. IFSO would also hopes to encourage businesses which write, deploy, or support Free Software.
Further information
Ciaran O'Riordan, +32 477 26 44 19,
![[MAILTO]](/wiki-htdocs/modern/img/moin-email.png)
ciaran@fsfe.org The IFSO webpage for GPLv3:
![[WWW]](/wiki-htdocs/modern/img/moin-www.png)
http://www.ifso.ie/projects/gplv3.html
Comments
FSF is author or maintainer of GPL?
Can't truly call a process with so many opaque steps as public. The committees A-E and the comments forwarders seem similar to the Vienna manipulations.
The optional "terminate on almost all patent action" clause sucks. It's not nice to mix copyright and patent licences: doesn't FSF speak out against "Intellectual Property" language because it confuses the two issues? There could be a GPL-c and a GPL-p split. I guess our legislators have shoved the DRM stuff into copyright law, so including that is reasonable.