[wp-hackers] WordPress and GPLv3

[Elliotte Rusty Harold]

Pixline wrote:

> Maybe is a little too early to talk about that? What's wrong with GPL2? 
> At least, we can read it without a lawyer, unlike GPL3. I'm not pleased 
> to release something under a license that needs a FAQ: the license can 
> have legal value, but what about the FAQ?
> 

That's both an advantage and a disadvantage. The ability to read ti 
without a lawyer makes it weaker in court. (Not directly: it's just that 
some of the less controversial changes in GPL3 were designed to address 
specific legal concerns and make the language clearer to lawyers and 
judges.)

Here's one specific advantage of GPL3: it is much more compatible with 
non-U.S. legal systems. GPLv2 had some problems in a number of 
jurisdictions that GPLv3 does not. That may be significant even if you 
don't care about issues like DRM and Tivoisation one way or the other.

-- 
Elliotte Rusty Harold  elharo at metalab.unc.edu
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