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GNU General Public License (GPL)

The GPL (GNU General Public License) is a copyleft free software license family that requires derivative works to be distributed under the same license terms, ensuring users' freedoms to run, study, modify, and share software.​


GPL grants four essential freedoms: to run the program for any purpose, study and modify it (with source code access), redistribute copies, and distribute modified versions. Its copyleft mechanism mandates that any work combining GPL code must also be licensed under GPL (or compatible terms), preventing proprietary forks.​


Key versions:

  1. GPLv1 (1989): Focused on requiring source code with binaries and protecting against restrictions on modification.​
  2. GPLv2 (1991): Added "Liberty or Death" clause to defend against patents or conflicting laws that could undermine freedoms.​
  3. GPLv3 (2007): Addresses tivoization (hardware locking), improves patent protection, and enhances internationalization and compatibility.​
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