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USDoD Launches Code.mil Open Source Initiative

defense.gov

1–3 of 3 posts

Re: USDoD Launches Code.mil Open Source Initiative

#2
I wonder how much work the government could reasonably crowdsource.

From license.md on their github

> We hope to also support GPLv3 for a project, but the weirdness of not having copyright makes that a little more difficult.

Are they meaning strong copyleft here? I thought maintaining and using copyright law to enforce copyleft provisions was a key idea of the GPL?

Re: USDoD Launches Code.mil Open Source Initiative

#3
post #2

I wonder how much work the government could reasonably crowdsource. From license.md on their github > We hope to also support GPLv3 for a project, but the weirdness of not having copyright makes that a little more difficult. Are they meaning strong copyleft here? I thought maintaining and using copyright law to enforce copyleft provisions was a key idea of the GPL?

US Federal employees don't have copyright on their work. That statement in license.md refers to how it is clearer how to get to a permissive license via the contract-theory mechanism, GPLv3 is more reliant on copyright as the mechanism of providing its protection of software freedom. This is still a work-in-progress and needs public/community review.