| Keyword: Free Software Licences
- Licenses are contracts
- Govern under which conditions someone may do something with the software
Proprietary software also uses licenses - Especially: Use, modify, distribute
- Software licenses are based on copyright
Copyright is based on state power
- Govern under which conditions someone may do something with the software
- The genius hack: Use the copyright system against itself
- Copyright creates scarcity by denying rights
- Copyleft creates abundance by granting rights
- Two main license types: GPL and BSD
- Though many licenses exist
Since a license is a contract it's easy to invent a new license
But it's rarely useful - Lists of Free Software licenses by FSF and OSI
- Though many licenses exist
- Main difference: May a licensee close sources again or not?
- BSD: Software may be distributed without sources
- GPL: Sources must be kept open
- More than 50% of Free Software projects use the GPL
Fundamental facility to embed Free Software in the law system
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Inherits the security from the law system
Inherits the power of the law system
