Let the user see the code - GPL for Web applications

November 20, 2007 – 12:06 pm by Ákos

The Free Software Foundation has released the Affero General Public License version 3. The license is essentially the GPLv3 with an added clause that requires that source code be distributed to users that interact with the application over a network. The license effectively extends copyright to Web applications. The new AGPL will have important effects for companies that, under the GPL, have no obligation to distribute changes to users on the Web. This release adds the license to the stable of official FSF licenses and is compatible with the GPLv3.

If Google would be really open, they would adopt this license.

Trackback URL

http://euedge.com/blog/2007/11/20/let-the-user-see-the-code-gpl-for-web-applications/trackback

One Response to “Let the user see the code - GPL for Web applications”

  • This can be quite disruptive for the entire industry which economizes on not having to publish the sources of derived GPL code running as services in the cloud. Developers of GPL software will probably be only too happy to adopt GPLv3 but it isn’t easy to imagine Google or Amazon publishing their code. It’s going to be interesting to see how this will play out. Surely a new window of opportunity for lawyers :)

    By peter on Nov 23, 2007

Post a Comment