LCA2016 Revisited - Copyleft For the Next Decade

Bradley Kuhn presented his thoughts on a comprehensive plan for the next decade of Copyleft.

• Copyleft is a strategy to defend Free Software.
• Gave an example of OpenStack as a project where proprietary updates are not being released back upstream.
• Quoted Martin Fink from Hewlett Packard Enterprise as stating that we should start forking non-Copyleft projects as AGPL projects. Taunted HP by stating he looked forward to HP's AGPL fork of OpenStack. I could not find a reference for this quote but did find this strongly worded post: Change Your Default from Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
• Proportionate reduction in Copyleft software the reason it's "not working".
• Copyleft is complimentary not contradictory to other strategies.
• Referred to his LCA2015 talk on attacks to Copyleft.
• Rhetoric attacks replaced with co-option and astroturfing.

"If Copyleft is not enforced, there is no observable difference between Copyleft and non-Copyleft." -- Bradley Kuhn

• Doesn't expect companies will ever do enforcement on behalf of the community.
• Opposition's political strategy:
  • Convince developers that Copyleft is "old-hat" or harms adoption.
    • Fund them to write non-Copyleft code.
  • For projects that are Copyleft:
    • Don't let developers keep their own copyrights.
    • Don't enforce Copyleft on behalf of the community.
    • Vilify community enforcers
    • If enforcing, sell out for other goals ie: money
• Spoke about some the issues around corporate lawyers.
• Anti-Copyleft lawyers are amazing organised
• Alleges there are secret meetings where they actively workshop anti-Copyleft strategies.
• Provided two examples of this.

Always Have a Plan

• Copyleft opponents are more savvy than they were previously.
• Demand from your employers to own the copyrights on your work.
• Copyleft is better enforced by multiple copyright holders.
• Return to volunteer coding.
• Write AGPL'd software , Free Software on your own time.
• Be willing to fork non-Copyleft projects.
• Listed examples of companies replacing Copyleft projects with their own.
• Believes that the Linux kernel modules will be the next battle ground. Perhaps the definitive battleground.
• More and more GPL violators are deliberately violating.
• Their goal is to test and extend the limits of violation.
• Enforcement is a zero sum game.
  • If Copyleft wins, software that should be free is liberated.
  • If they win, software that should be free remains proprietary.
• Enforcement done for profit is a path to corruption.

How to Help

• Developers join the enforcement coalitions
• Financially support the Software Freedom Conservancy.
• Complete Corresponding Source has to work.
• Software Freedom is the underdog.
• Called for a community of individuals to stand up for the GPL.
• A community of cooperating individuals is our strength
• Which is how Free Software started.
• Conservancy can't act alone.