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<LI>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor |
<LI>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor |
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(freedom 2). |
(freedom 2). |
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<LI>The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements |
<LI>The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements |
| 66 |
to the public, so that the whole community benefits. |
to the public, so that the whole community benefits |
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(freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this. |
(freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this. |
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</UL> |
</UL> |
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|
|
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activities and people outside the jurisdictions of these governments. |
activities and people outside the jurisdictions of these governments. |
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|
|
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<P> |
<P> |
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|
Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are |
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limits on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. |
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|
If a copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described |
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above, it is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never |
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anticipated (though this does happen occasionally). However, some |
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|
free software licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can |
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|
impose a much larger range of possible restrictions. That means there |
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|
are many possible ways such a license could be unacceptably |
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restrictive and non-free. |
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|
<P> |
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|
We can't possibly list all the possible contract restrictions that |
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would be unacceptable. If a contract-based license restricts the user |
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in an unusual way that copyright-based licenses cannot, and which |
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isn't mentioned here as legitimate, we will have to think about it, |
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|
and we will probably decide it is non-free. |
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|
<P> |
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When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms like |
When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms like |
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``give away'' or ``for free'', because those terms imply that the |
``give away'' or ``for free'', because those terms imply that the |
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issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such as |
issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such as |
| 269 |
send other questions to |
send other questions to |
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<A HREF="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><EM>gnu@gnu.org</EM></A>. |
<A HREF="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><EM>gnu@gnu.org</EM></A>. |
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<P> |
<P> |
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Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc., |
Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, Free |
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59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111, USA |
Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA |
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|
02111, USA |
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<P> |
<P> |
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Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is |
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is |
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permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved. |
permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved. |