[License-discuss] GPL-3.0's anti-DRM tivoization clause

[Moritz Maxeiner]

On Friday, 30 August 2019 16:29:05 CEST Johnny A. Solbu wrote:
> On Friday 30 August 2019 16:13, Patrick Masson wrote:
> >    I'm an amateur software developer specializing in Python game
> >    development. My goal ultimately is to develop a cross-platform RPG.
> >    My principal concern, then, involves keeping the title free and
> >    open-source, without — however — any limitations on the potential
> >    for hardware manufacturers to maintain their DRM policy and
> >    disallowing modification of their specific snapshot or release of my
> >    software. I worry about the legal ambiguity surrounding the GPL-
> >    3.0's anti-DRM tivoization clause affecting the distribution of my
> >    software.
> 
> If you want to allow hardware manufacturers to put DRM on your game's, my
> recommendation is to use «GPLv2 or later». Then hardware manufacturers can
> choose to stick with GPLv2 and put DRM on it, and others can shoose to use
> GPLv3 and prohibit DRM.

Wouldn't adding such DRM to the game essentially violate clause 6 of the GPL 
2.0?

> [...]. You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients' 
exercise of the rights granted herein. [...]

I have a hard time interpreting DRM as something other than a restriction on 
my right (as established in the GPL 2.0) to create copies of the program.