Is there a stronger copyleft license than the GPL?

Discussion in 'Security and Legal' started by CM30, May 24, 2014.

  1. CM30

    CM30 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2012
    Messages:
    901
    Likes Received:
    500
    One which basically says the following:

    1. This work is free (to use and distribute), will always be free and can never be used as part of a proprietary system.

    2. Everything extended from it is free (like the GPL)

    3. It cannot be used with commercial software

    4. This software cannot be linked to or interface with commercial or proprietary software.

    So basically, if you made a script like WordPress or phpBB, any software made to extend it (or made to run alongside it) would have to be under the same license and loopholes like the 'GPL PHP and non GPL CSS/images' thing would be impossible.

    Does a license like that exist?
     
  2. AWS

    AWS Administrator

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2010
    Messages:
    1,616
    Likes Received:
    692
    Location:
    Joliet, IL U.S.A.
    First Name:
    Bob
    I haven't read the license in a while. I actually did read all of it one time to understand it.

    I don't think it is that restrictive. You can use GPL code in commercial software as long as you include the license with the product and make the source code available. You do have to release the product under the same license.

    As I said it's been a while since I read it and that was a couple revisions back so I could be mistaken.
     
  3. we_are_borg

    we_are_borg Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2013
    Messages:
    305
    Likes Received:
    168
    Location:
    Netherlands
    First Name:
    Jeroen
    You can make our own license that is made to fit what you want to do with the license. The creative commons license you can add more to it or exclude stuff. In the license world there is always a solution.
     
  4. s.molinari

    s.molinari Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2009
    Messages:
    774
    Likes Received:
    603
    Location:
    Käshofen
    I would say no. You'd have to devise your own license, as we_are_borg suggests.

    Why do you want to exclude commercial usage or linking/ interfacing?

    Scott
     
  5. CM30

    CM30 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2012
    Messages:
    901
    Likes Received:
    500
    Curiosity mainly. But basically, if I ever start an open source project, I want to completely nuke the loopholes found in the license in the WordPress, Drupal, phpBB, etc communities. So the idea would be that there would be no debate whether say, add ons or styles would be GPL, because the license would just say 'absolutely everything related to this script would be under the same license as said script'.

    Basically, it would act as a way to shut down the current 'license code under the GPL and CSS/images under a non GPL license' loophole, by just saying 'allright, if you make stuff for this script, everything has to be under the same license simply due to it being loaded at the same time as the files'.

    It'd also exist to make it so the community was entirely volunteers only, by making commercial development utterly unfeasible. Why would I want this? Because I don't like how overly commercialised everything has become online, so I'd design any future scripts/themes/frameworks/whatever to encourage the good old 90s sharing mentality in place of the 'everything has to be a business' one that's ruined much of the internet.
     

Share This Page