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-revision 1.18 by rms,
Mon Aug 26 22:02:14 2002 UTC
+revision 1.23 by rms,
Tue Feb 17 12:12:30 2004 UTC
 Line 30
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.no.html">Norwegian</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.pl.html">Polish</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.pt.html">Portuguese</A>
+ | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.ro.html">Romanian</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.ru.html">Russian</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.sl.html">Slovenian</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.es.html">Spanish</A>
+ | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.sv.html">Swedish</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.tr.html">Turkish</A>
  <!-- Please keep this list alphabetical -->
  <!-- PLEASE UPDATE THE LIST AT THE BOTTOM (OR TOP) OF THE PAGE TOO! -->
-Line 61 
 it refers to four kinds of freedom, for
+Line 63 
 it refers to four kinds of freedom, for
    <LI>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
        (freedom 2).
    <LI>The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements
-      to the public, so that the whole community benefits.
+      to the public, so that the whole community benefits
        (freedom 3).   Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
  </UL>
-Line 162 
 use of the program.  In this way, the re
+Line 164 
 use of the program.  In this way, the re
  activities and people outside the jurisdictions of these governments.
  <P>
+ Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are
+ limits on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright.
+ If a copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described
+ above, it is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never
+ anticipated (though this does happen occasionally).  However, some
+ free software licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can
+ impose a much larger range of possible restrictions.  That means there
+ are many possible ways such a license could be unacceptably
+ restrictive and non-free.
+ <P>
+ We can't possibly list all the possible contract restrictions that
+ would be unacceptable.  If a contract-based license restricts the user
+ in an unusual way that copyright-based licenses cannot, and which
+ isn't mentioned here as legitimate, we will have to think about it,
+ and we will probably decide it is non-free.
+ <P>
  When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms like
  ``give away'' or ``for free'', because those terms imply that the
  issue is about price, not freedom.  Some common terms such as
-Line 226 
 to mind freedom</A>.
+Line 244 
 to mind freedom</A>.
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.no.html">Norwegian</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.pl.html">Polish</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.pt.html">Portuguese</A>
+ | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.ro.html">Romanian</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.ru.html">Russian</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.sl.html">Slovenian</A>
  | <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.es.html">Spanish</A>
-Line 250 
 Please send comments on these web pages
+Line 269 
 Please send comments on these web pages
  send other questions to
  <A HREF="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><EM>gnu@gnu.org</EM></A>.
  <P>
- Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
+ Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, Free
-Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111,  USA
+ Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA
+,  USA
  <P>
  Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
  permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

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