Hi, I am currently working on a website I plan to release under the GPL3 license. I was wondering what copyright notice I should put in the footer of the web page. The notice I currently have is “Copyright 2023 <myname>”, but I do not know if this conflicts with the GPL licence. Should I change it to something like “Copyright 2023 <projectname> contributers”?

  • intrepid@lemmy.ca
    1·
    1 year ago

    GNU does not own a monopoly on the definition of free software.

    Terming it as a ‘monopoly’ doesn’t invalidate what it is. FSF’s definition of Free software is what’s accepted as canonical definition of free software - just as OSI’s definition is accepted as the definition of open source. The entire analysis of FOSS ecosystem is based on these definitions. It’s not open to interpretation. You can’t claim victory by insisting on accepting a falsehood as the truth.

    It wouldn’t be hard to argue that capitalist exploitation of the commons ruins the freedoms many would like to see.

    That’s not an excuse for misrepresenting the motives of a project. If you don’t want capitalists not using your work, you’re free to restrict that. What you are not free to do is to claim it as free software. You can’t have it both ways.

    • toastal@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Yet folks often say their $0 software is free software because gratis. Words evolve/change & only mean what the folks think it means. If anyone wanted to take over a word, they could. To say it’s not open to interpretation is silly. To assume the ideas they first put out long ago never need a revision or update or were infallible missing no changes to software/society is a religion. Right now we see folks come to terms that outside GPL, a lot of code is being used for AI training models & then sold while not giving users a hint at who wrote it or where to get the source. These ideas probably need to change & projects like Peer Production or Blue Oak or License Zero feel they want to actually take on your enshrined terms like “free” & “open source” because there is not a better word to describe what they are proposing, then I don’t see a problem other than possible confusion (but folks might be confused either way like saying those licenses are nonfree just because a for-profit entity can’t use even if individuals, collectives, nonprofits can).