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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/nonsoftware-copyleft.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/nonsoftware-copyleft.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c1409ff --- /dev/null +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/nonsoftware-copyleft.html @@ -0,0 +1,254 @@ +<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.92 --> +<!-- This page is derived from /server/standards/boilerplate.html --> +<title>Applying Copyleft To Non-Software Information +- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> +<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/nonsoftware-copyleft.translist" --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> +<h2>Applying Copyleft To Non-Software Information</h2> + +<p>by <a href="http://dsl.org/"><strong>Michael Stutz</strong></a></p> + +<h3 id="what">First, what is Copyleft?</h3> + +<p> +The entry for +“<a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a>” in the +definitive hacker lexicon, the +<a href="http://www.jargon.net/jargonfile/c/copyleft.html">Jargon +File</a>, reads:</p> + +<blockquote><p> + copyleft: /kop'ee-left/ [play on ‘copyright’] n. 1. The + copyright notice (‘General Public License’) carried by + GNU EMACS and other Free Software Foundation software, granting + reuse and reproduction rights to all comers (but see also General + Public Virus). 2. By extension, any copyright notice intended to + achieve similar aims. +</p></blockquote> + +<p>The idea of <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> +originated with über-hacker <a href="http://www.stallman.org/"> +Richard Stallman</a> in 1983 when he started +the <a href="/gnu/gnu-history.html">GNU Project</a>. In brief, his +goal was “to develop a complete free Unix-like operating +system.” As part of that goal, he invented and wrote +the <a href="/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU General Public License</a>, a +legal construct that included a copyright notice but added to it (or, +technically, removed certain restrictions), so its terms allowed for +the freedoms of reuse, modification and reproduction of a work or its +derivatives to be kept for all.</p> + +<p> +Normal <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190805143144/http://www.angelfire.com/planet/carroll/index2.html"> +copyright</a> asserts ownership and identification of the author, as +well as prevents the use of the author's name as author of a distorted +version of the work; it also prevents intentional distortion of the +work by others and prevents destruction of the work. But it also +carries other restrictions — such as restricting the +reproduction or modification of a work.</p> + +<p> +Copyleft contains the normal copyright statement, asserting ownership +and identification of the author. However, it then <em>gives away</em> +some of the other rights implicit in the normal copyright: it says +that not only are you free to redistribute this work, but you are also +free to change the work. However, you cannot claim to have written the +original work, nor can you claim that these changes were created by +someone else. Finally, all derivative works must also be placed under +these terms.</p> + +<h3 id="why">Why is Copyleft important, or even necessary?</h3> + +<p> +Certain restrictions of copyright — such as distribution and +modification — are not very useful to “cyberia,” the +“free, apolitical, democratic community” that constitutes +the internetworked digital world.</p> + +<p> +With computers, perfect copies of a digital work can easily be made +— and even modified, or further distributed — by others, +with no loss of the original work. As individuals interact in cyberia, +sharing information — then reacting and building upon it — +is not only natural, but this is the <em>only</em> way for individual +beings to thrive in a community. In essence, the idea of copyleft is +basic to the natural propagation of digital information among humans +in a society. This is why the regular notion of copyright does not +make sense in the context of cyberia.</p> + +<p> +Simple ‘public domain’ publication will not work, because +some will try to abuse this for profit by depriving others of freedom; +as long as we live in a world with a legal system where legal +abstractions such as copyright are necessary, as responsible artists +or scientists we will need the formal legal abstractions of copyleft +that ensure our freedom and the freedom of others.</p> + +<p> +Much literature has been written on this subject by Stallman, and the +details can be found in the +excellent <a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">texts</a> published +by the Free Software Foundation.</p> + +<h3 id="gpl">So why isn't the FSF's GNU GPL good enough?</h3> + +<p> +It <em>is</em> good enough! The GNU GPL is not only a document of +significant historical and literary value, but it is in wide use today +for countless software programs — those as formal part of the +GNU Project and otherwise. The GNU GPL originated for the specific +goal of sharing software among computer programmers. However, looking +closely at the GPL, it appears that the same License can be easily +applied to non-software information.</p> + +<p>Alternately, a document can be copylefted under different, or much +simpler terms; whether or not the GNU GPL is the specific means to the +end is not the issue, although the GNU GPL certainly provides the most +explicit (and canonical) definition of copyleft.</p> + +<h3 id="how">Ok, so how do I copyleft my non-software work?</h3> + +<p> +It's simple. While a particular situation may require or inspire its +own specific License, possibly similar to the GNU GPL, all that a +copyleft notice must really do is fulfill the points as defined above +in “<a href="#what">First, what is Copyleft?</a>”. Using +the GNU GPL to copyleft your work is easy.</p> + +<p> +The GNU GPL states that it “applies to any program or other work +which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may +be distributed under the terms of this General Public License,” +so this “Program,” then, may not necessarily be a computer +software program — any work of any nature that can be +copyrighted can be copylefted with the GNU GPL.</p> + +<p> +The GNU GPL references the “source code” of a work; this +“source code” will mean different things for different +kinds of information, but the definition of “source code” +— provided in the GNU GPL — holds true in any case: +“The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work +for making modifications to it.”</p> + +<p> +The notices attached to the work can not always be attached “to +the start of each source file,” as recommended by the GNU +GPL. In this case, the directory that the files reside should contain +a notice, as should any accompanying documentation or literature.</p> + +<p> +Finally, for non-software works the “copyright” line +included at the start of the “source code” of the work is +modified in language slightly:</p> + +<pre> + <one line to give the work's name and a brief idea of what it does.> + Copyright (C) yyyy <name of author> + + This information is free; you can redistribute it and/or modify it + under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by + the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or + (at your option) any later version. + + This work is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, + but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of + MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the + GNU General Public License for more details. + + You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License + along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software + Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA. +</pre> + +<h3 id="where">Where do I go from here?</h3> + +<p>Here are sources for further information on copyleft, especially as +it is applied to non-software information:</p> + +<p>The <a href="/home.html">rest of this web site</a> is the home of +the GNU Project and is the canonical source for copyleft and +free software<a href="#f1">(1)</a>.</p> + +<p><a href="http://www.ram.org/">Ram Samudrala</a> wrote +the <a href="http://www.ram.org/ramblings/philosophy/fmp.html">Free +Music Philosophy</a> and creates copylefted music as the +band Twisted Helices.</p> + +<p>Some of my own non-software copylefted works include texts +(literature, reviews, <a href="http://dsl.org/cookbook/cookbook_toc.html">technical</a>) +and music.</p> + +<h3 id="fn">Footnote</h3> + +<ol> +<li id="f1">Before 2020, “free software” was confusingly +referred to as “freely-redistributable”.</li> +</ol> + +</div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> +<div id="footer"> +<div class="unprintable"> + +<p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to +<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. +There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> +the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent +to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> + +<p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, + replace it with the translation of these two: + + We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality + translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. + Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard + to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> + <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> + + <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of + our web pages, see <a + href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations + README</a>. --> +Please see the <a +href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations +README</a> for information on coordinating and contributing translations +of this article.</p> +</div> + +<!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to + files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should + be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this + without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first. + Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the + document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the + document was modified, or published. + + If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too. + Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying + years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable + year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including + being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system). + + There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers + Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. --> + +<p>Copyright © 1997, 2020 Michael Stutz</p> + +<p> +Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is +permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved. +</p> + +<!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" --> + +<p class="unprintable">Updated: +<!-- timestamp start --> +$Date: 2020/08/08 18:01:06 $ +<!-- timestamp end --> +</p> +</div> +</div><!-- for class="inner", starts in the banner include --> +</body> +</html> |