For Approval: GPLv3

[Ian Lance Taylor]

Chris Travers <chris at metatrontech.com> writes:

> As I understand it, if any part of the GPL v3 (particularly the
> compulsion to relicense) were found to be a misuse of copyright law,
> it would provide a defense against an attempt to enforce copyrights on
> the works we create.

How can the GPLv3 possibly cause copyright misuse, considering that
the GPLv3 does not restrict any rights granted by copyright?

The GPLv3 does not compel anybody to relicense anything.  It just says
that *if* you redistribute, you must not impose further restrictions
on the code you distribute.  The GPL says nothing about what happens
if you do not redistribute.  This is completely unlike copyright
misuse cases, which are about restrictions on use, not restrictions on
distribution.  The GPLv3 imposes no restrictions on use.

Ian