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What is GNU GPL and how does it differ from copyright?

Updated: 8/20/2019
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The GNU General Public License was originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU mass-collaboration software project. Like Creative Commons and other copyleft systems, it is a broad license that allows users to freely use, copy, and modify software.

Copyright automatically gives the creator of a sufficiently creative work, including the author of computer code, the exclusive right to copy, alter, distribute, or perform/display the work, or authorize others to do so. It's the automatic aspect that unintentionally makes it awkward for creators wishing to freely share their works, but it's the right to authorize others that makes these extremely broad licenses viable: the GPL, Creative Commons, etc. work alongside copyright.

Licenses such as the GPL encourage sharing and collaboration by allowing users to distribute and modify programs without constantly having to seek additional permission from the copyright holder, and they let the copyright holders spend time on new projects instead of constantly responding to licensing requests.

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Q: What is GNU GPL and how does it differ from copyright?
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Related questions

What do the abbreviations GNU GPL stand for?

The abbreviation GNU stands for 'Gnu's Not Unix' in computing. And the abbreviation GPL stands for 'General Public License' also in computing. Of course, there are could be other abbreviations too.


What is the difference between GNU and GPL?

one of them has gNU and the other has gPL!!!! The GNU is the Lesser General Public Licence or LGPL (formerly the GNU Library General Public Licence). The main difference between them is that the LGP lets work to be linked to a non-(L)GPLed programme whether it is free software or proprietary software.


Full form of GPL?

GNU Public License. "GNU" in turn is a recursive acronym standing for "GNUs Not Unix."


What type of license does the KDE currently use?

Most of KDE is available under the GNU GPL. Some programs, such as Kate / KWrite are available under the GNU LGPL.


Is VisualBoy Advance free?

Yes. VisualBoy Advance is free to download, use, and modify under the terms of the GNU GPL.


Explain open source in relation to the GNU GPL?

Open source means that the source code is available free of charge. That does not mean however that you have any other rights in connection to it. GNU GPL insures that a software is "Free" (as in Freedom), making sure that users not only have the right to see the source code, but modify it in any way they like it as long as they license the modifications under the GPL, too. See the link to Free Software vs. Open Source for more details.


How many kinds of copyright tags CC INC GNU etc are there and what are their meanings?

12


Where can one get a hold of a opensta?

You can get the OpenSTA Tools Software online from the Sourceforge website. OpenSTA tools are free open source software provided under the GNU GPL license.


What does the GNU general public license require software developers to do when modifying Linux versions?

GNU doesn't regulate anything. The GPL, on the other hand, requires that if you redistribute Linux with your modifications, that you make the source code of your modifications available as well. Keep in mind this only applied to DISTRIBUTION. In-house/personal-use stuff you are literally unrestricted and can even keep modifications to yourself. To make this a little less confusing, consider this: 1. Distributor X makes Y modification to Linux. 2. X sends out Linux with Y modification and has to make Y available openly without restriction. 3. End user Z gets Linux with Y. 4. Z modifies Linux with Y with further modification W. 5. Because Z is not sharing Linux with modifications Y and W, he doesn't have to share W at all. A more real world example: 1. nVidia makes an excellent proprietary driver for their video cards on Linux. 2. Because the driver is proprietary, this driver cannot be included with the kernel tree itself. 3. Instead, the end user typically has Linux installed with a kernel and has to download and install the driver themselves, typically over their distribution's repositories. There used to be a debate about whether this driver violates the GPL anyway over "derived works" clauses, though even the FSF (Responsible for the GPL and its terms.) has pretty much held there is no such violation. Further, the GPL, being a license and not a law, cannot take away the rights of the OWNER of the copyright. If I am the sole owner of code I have licensed under the GPL, the GPL can't stop me at all from relicensing the whole shebang under a proprietary commercial license. Some companies, such as Canonical, even have "copyright reassignment" agreements with contributors that legally transfers copyright from the modder to Canonical and it won't violate the GPL, however a lot of people find this shady and against the spirit of free software. Still, because of this, if you're sole copyright holder and want to include proprietary code with your work, you won't be able to use the GPL without violating it, though technically a copyright holder cannot violate their own copyright. I am unsure if the GPL can stop a copyright holder from including proprietary software of their own creation directly into GPL code of their own creation, but it would definitely stop anyone else from redistributing the whole package themselves unless they remove the proprietary parts.


What are the copyrights laws relating to Linux?

The Linux kernel is protected by copyright law as a "literary work." However, it was issued under the extraordinarily broad GNU General Public License, which allows free distribution of the code, and grants users permission to modify the code in any way, providing that the resulting code is also distributed under the same license. A discussion of the GPL is linked below.


What is the full form of GPL?

GPL-General Public license


What is a GPL software?

In the technological field, GPL means "General Public Licence". The software that is developed under open platform is distributed under the term entitled GPL. The GPL Software is open for general public and can be subjected to re-engineering and modifications by anybody. No express permission is required and if re-engineered, or modified, the process does not involve penalty or copyright violations. However, the source code should be provided. The term supersedes the concept of software purchase unlike Microsoft Corporation and other professional software companies doing business.