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A Legal Issues Primer for Open Source and Free Software Projects - Software Freedom Law Center - This concise publication is a "must read" for those starting or managing free and open source software projects. (2008)
A Practical Guide to GPL Compliance - Software Freedom Law Center - A guide to effective compliance with the GNU General Public License (GPL) and related licenses. It focuses on avoiding compliance actions and minimizing the negative impact when enforcement actions occur. (2008)
A Quick Guide to GPLv3 - Free Software Foundation - This guide provides developers with an easy-to-understand overview of the major changes in the revised license. It goes through each new feature one by one, clearly describing how it works. Also available in PDF or reStructuredText (tarball) formats. (2009)
Applying Copyleft To Non-Software Information - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF) - A concise summary of how the GPL license can be applied to non-software works, such as documentation and music. Available in English and French.
FOSSology - The FOSSology Project is built around an open and modular architecture for analyzing software. Existing modules include license analysis, meta data extraction, and MIME type identification. It analyzes a given set of software packages (it looks at every file within the package) and reports items such as the software licenses used by these packages. Latest release is 1.2.0, 2010-07-08.
Free Software Foundation - FSF Free Software Licensing - The main site for the FSF's Free Software Licensing Project and the home of the GNU General Public License; includes many resources on licensing issues.
Free Software Matters: Enforcing the GPL, Part 1 - A classic article on the validity of the GPL and copyright by Eben Moglen, General Counsul of the Free Software Foundation. (2001)
Free Software Matters: Enforcing the GPL, Part 2 - A classic article on how the GPL is enforced by Eben Moglen, General Counsul of the Free Software Foundation. (September 2001)
Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU GPL - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF) - A detailed FAQ about the GPL license; a "must read".
GPL Enforcement: Don't Jump to Conclusions, But Do Report Violations - This is a useful resource for free software developers and users who are concerned about license violations and want to contribute to productive enforcement efforts. (2009)
GPL Violations Project - This project raises awareness of infringing uses of GPL software and acts as an information clearinghouse for reporting and dealing with violations.
Groklaw - GPL Resources - An excellent resource site for information about the General Public License (GPL). Includes links to Groklaw articles, information on the GPLv1, GPLv2, and the GPLv3 (including the preliminary drafts), legal cases, history of GPL development, and relevant external resources.
Linux.com Article - "Why I love the GPL" - An outstanding article about the advantages of the GPL (GNU General Public License) and its importance to software freedom. (2005)
Lizenz Center, license list - Extensive list of Free Software/Open Source and Open Content licenses organized by type of license; site available in English and German.
Make Your Open Source Software GPL-Compatible. Or Else - David Wheeler calls on developers of Free-libre / open source software to use an existing widely-used license compatible with the General Public License (GPL). He also writes about the dangers of FLOSS license proliferation. (2002, updated 2009-10-06)
ONLamp.com Article "Open Source and Free Documentation Licenses, Part 1: The GNU FDL" - A review article on the Free Documentation License. (2004) This article is still relevant today (2009).
ONLamp.com Article - "Open Source and Free Documentation Licenses, Part 2: The Open Publication License" - A review article on the Open Public License. (2004) This article is still relevant today. (2009)
ONLamp.com Article - "Open Source and Free Documentation Licenses, Part 3: The Open Gaming License" - A review article on the Open Gaming License. (2004) This final article in this seres is still relevant today. (2009)
OSS Watch - The GNU General Public License v2 - An Overview - An excellent overview of the GPL v2 license; includes some history, the primary features, how it works, common myths, and links for more information. (2005) This review article stands the test of time. (2009)
Open Source License Law Resource Center - Numerous links to open source license law for law professionals working on projects involving open source licenses and people working on open source software programs needing information on legal issues.
Quick Reference For Choosing a Free Software License - A handy guide to help in choosing the correct software license. (2008)
The H Open Source: The GPL - Not Fade Away - An excellent article that looks at the arguments for and against abandoning the GPL license, the basic principles of the license, and the historical context out of which this license was created. (2009)
The Open Source Initiative: Licenses - A list of approved OSI (Open Source Initiative) licenses with links to the text of each license.
Various Licenses and Comments about Them - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF) - Lists of licenses (with links) for software (GPL-compatible, GPL-incompatible, non-free; documentation (free andnon-free) and works besides software and documentation.
What is Copyleft? - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF) - Premier site for GPL and LGPL license information.
Why the GNU GPL Still Matters - An excellent essay by Glyn Moody on why the GPL license remains an important cornerstone for the Free Software community. (2009)