GPLv3: Drafting version 3 of the GNU General Public License

1. Discussion drafts: timeline and details
2. Specific topics
3. How to participate
4. Event recordings and transcripts
5. Links to further reading

Timeline

The official GNU GPLv3

• Released: June 29th 2007
• Text
• Rationale
• The launch press release of our sister organisation, FSF, which worked on the drafting GPLv3
• The GPL Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), updated for version 3

Discussion draft 4

• Released: May 31st 2007
• Text
• Rationale
• Comments

Discussion draft 3

• Released: March 28th 2007
• Text
• Differences
• Rationale
• Comments

Discussion draft 2

• Released: July 27th 2006
• Text
• Differences
• Rationale
• Comments

Discussion draft 1

• Released: January 16th 2006
• Text
• Differences
• Rationale
• Comments

Specific topics

The aim of all versions of the GPL are to ensure that everyone who receives a copy of GPL-licensed software is free to use that software, to modify it, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. Version 3 accounts for changes in software's legal and technical environment, and thwarts new techniques which have been devised to take those freedoms away from software users. Below are explanations of certain issues that have raised discussion during the GPLv3 consultation process.

• GPLv3: Simplicity and Length
• Why GPLv3 says additional permissions are removable
• How GPLv3 addresses the EUCD and DMCA
• GPLv3 Embedded in Devices
• How GPLv3 tackles Licence Proliferation
• Tivoisation explained - implementation and harms

How to participate

The public consultation is now over. The thousands of comments which were submitted are still available online. The "timeline" section above has links to the comments for each draft.

Event recordings and transcripts

For a list of past and future GPLv3 events, see the Events page on the GPLv3 wiki.

• April 1st 2007. Brussels:
  • Transcript of Richard Stallman's GPLv3 talk
  • Audio recording of the talk
• November 21st and 22nd, 2006. 5th international conference, Tokyo:
  • Transcript of Richard Stallman's GPLv3 talk, including Q&A, and the video
  • Transcript of Ciaran O'Riordan's GPLv3 talk, including Q&A, and the video
  • Complete videos from that event.
• August 23rd, 2006. 4th international conference, Bangalore:
  • Transcript of Richard Stallman's GPLv3 talk, including Q&A
  • All audio recordings from the event
  • All video recordings from that event
• June 22nd and 23rd, 2006. 3rd international conference, Barcelona:
  • Transcript of Richard Stallman's GPLv3 talk, including Q&A
  • Transcript of Eben Moglen's GPLv3 talk, including Q&A
  • Complete audio and video recordings of both days
• April 21st, 2006. 2nd internatinal conference, Porto Alegre:
  • Transcript of Richard Stallman's GPLv3 presentation, including Q&A
• March 18th, 2006. The Future of Free Software, Turin:
  • Transcript of Richard Stallman's GPLv3 presentation, including Q&A
  • Corresponding video for above transcript
• February 25th, 2006. FOSDEM, Brussels:
  • Transcript of Richard Stallman's GPLv3 presentation
  • Corresponding video for above transcript, additionally includes Q&A session
• January 16th, 2006. 1st international conference (launch), Boston:
  • Transcript of Eben Moglen's presentation, with an introduction and interjections by Richard Stallman
  • Corresponding video for above transcript, additionally includes Q&A

Links to further reading

• The current draft of GPLv3
• The official GPLv3 wiki, particularly:
  • The reading materials page, and
  • The events page
• Slides from a talk by Georg Greve on GPLv3, 29th of May 2006
• Notes from a talk by Ciaran O'Riordan on GPLv3, 19th of January 2006
• Video, audio, and transcripts from the 3rd international GPLv3 conference, organised by FSFE, 22nd and 23rd of June 2006
• An audio recording of a talk by Richard Stallman about Tivoisation, GPLv3, and hardware manufacturers
• List of transcripts of presentations on free software licences and the GNU GPL