copyleft

copyleft
 /kop'ee.left/, n.

   [play on copyright]

   1. The copyright notice (`General Public License') carried by {GNU}
   {EMACS} and other Free Software Foundation software, granting reuse
   and reproduction rights to all comers (but see also {General Public
   Virus}).

   2. By extension, any copyright notice intended to achieve similar
   aims.
    

copyleft

   <legal> /kop'ee-left/ (A play on "copyright") The {copyright}
   notice and {General Public License} applying to the works of
   the {Free Software Foundation}, granting reuse and
   reproduction rights to everyone.

   Typically copyrights take away freedoms; copyleft preserves
   them.  It is a legal instrument that requires those who pass
   on a program to include the rights to use, modify, and
   redistribute the code; the code and the freedoms become
   legally inseparable.

   The copyleft used by the GNU Project combines a regular
   copyright notice and the "GNU General Public License" (GPL).
   The GPL is a copying license which basically says that you
   have the aforementioned freedoms.  The license is included in
   each GNU source code distribution and manual.

   See also {General Public Virus}.

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1995-04-18)