copyleft-nextJun 30, 2025

Today, we (@bkuhn & @richardfontana) excitedly announce that we have restarted, revitalized, and relaunched copyleft-next!

Today, #GPLv3 turns exactly 18 years old. This month, #GPLv2 turned 34 years old. These are both great licenses and we love them. Nevertheless, at least once in a generation, #FOSS needs a new approach to strong #copyleft.

Read more in this thread about the relaunch of the copyleft-next project … ( or read more on the post here: https://lists.copyleft.org/pipermail/next/2025q2/000000.html )

What's next?

Show threadcopyleft-nextJun 30, 2025

… @bkuhn & @richardfontana were involved with GPLv3 Drafting Committees. We learned much from what was done right and (frankly) what was done wrong in drafting GPLv3.

@richardfontana was prescient w/ copyleft-next — taking lessons learned from the GPLv3 process and doing copyleft license drafting better.

What @richardfontana began — almost exactly 13 years ago — as an experimental hobby, we relaunch today as a serious and professional effort to create the next generation of copyleft license. …

Show threadcopyleft-nextJun 30, 2025

… we are also pleased to announce that Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) has agreed to provide system resources to host our website, mailing list, and Forgejo instance for copyleft-next.

A gracious volunteer years ago donated to @bkuhn the domain name “copyleft.org” as a place to host work to advance copyleft. We're excited to host all these new resources in that domain name. The beginnings of a new website are now live on https://next.copyleft.org/. …

copyleft-next

Show threadcopyleft-next

…@bkuhn @ @richardfontana serve equally as co-Editors-in-Chief of copyleft-next. We continue w/ the Hindering Backchannels Rule (HBR) (formerly known as the Harvey Birdman Rule) & also we'll work with haste to add an appropriate and more typical Code of Conduct,too.

copyleft-next remains an independent project. We'ill always disclose publicly any (actual or potential) conflicts of interest & work on copyleft-next is always in our personal capacities. We ask other contributors to do the same.…

Jun 30, 2025 at 1:49amWeb
Show threadJérôme CarreteroJun 30, 2025

@next @bkuhn @richardfontana

TIL about your invention of the Hindering Backchannels Rule "which has two aims: to maximize transparency by discouraging undisclosed private negotiations over license drafting, and to limit the undue influence of interest groups far removed from the concerns of individual free software developers and users" and I find it very cool.

I have the firm belief that a majority of serious projects should strive to follow similar transparency / auditability guidelines. I've seen way too many harmful workplace cliques and back-channels in my professional life.

Show threadRichard FontanaJun 30, 2025
@cJ @next @bkuhn indeed I think we should think about making HBR more generalized and suitable for a broader range of projects
Show threadBradley M. KuhnJun 30, 2025

@richardfontana

Indeed, I thought ahead about this when migrating repositories:

https://git.copyleft.org/copyleft-next/hbr

The “Hindering Backchannels Rule” (“HBR”) — formerly called the “Harvey Birdman Rule” — is a Rule that all participants in the copyleft-next project are expected to follow. The HBR is maintained in this separate repository in case other projects eventually would like to use it.

Cc:

@cJ @next

hbr

The “Hindering Backchannels Rule” (“HBR”) — formerly called the “Harvey Birdman Rule” — is a Rule that all participants in the copyleft-next project are expected to follow. The HBR is maintained in this separate repository in case other projects eventually would like to use it.

Forgejo