[License-discuss] What's wrong with the AGPL?

[Kate Downing]

I wrote about this at length here:
https://katedowninglaw.com/2019/09/08/the-great-open-source-shake-up/

On Thu, Jun 13, 2024 at 3:30 PM Dirk Riehle <dirk at riehle.org> wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
> I wrote this email three times and discarded it; I simply don't know how
> to ask.
>
> Final try. If I believe various representatives (on Twitter and
> elsewhere) of companies like AWS, they believe they can use AGPL
> licensed code and the copyleft effect is wholly contained/doesn't affect
> their tech stack at all. Those who pushed source-available seem to
> agree; the SSPL was an attempt to a better copyleft license in the eyes
> of their creators, irrespective of this list's conclusion that it was a
> discriminatory license.
>
> Why is that? I look at the definition of "modified code" in the AGPL
> license texts and to me it seems to do the trick (copyleft effect). I
> find the explanation of conveyance to users less clear i.e. how the
> traditional distribution is defined.
>
> Is there any recognized published statement that explains whether the
> AGPL achieves a network copyleft effect as intended or not? And if the
> conclusion is that it doesn't what's the alternative if you want this
> effect?
>
> Thanks for bearing with me.
>
> Dirk
>
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>
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