Linux follows an open decision process, and you can fork it if you dont like it [LWN.net]

Linux follows an open decision process, and you can fork it if you dont like it

Posted Oct 2, 2006 14:54 UTC (Mon) by sepreece (subscriber, #19270)
In reply to: Linux follows an open decision process, and you can fork it if you dont like it by dmantione
Parent article: Busy busy busybox

Actually, you're not allowed to modify the text of the GPL. You would have to write your own similar license. Though the FSF has said they would not pursue copyright infringement against alternative licenses that copied text from the GPL, so long as they did not represent themselves as the GPL, they hold the copyright on the license text and have not formally granted a license to modify it, so you would need to start from scratch if you wanted to be legally clear.

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Yes, you can modify the GPL terms

Posted Oct 2, 2006 16:54 UTC (Mon) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link]

While you can't modify the GPL text itself, you can still use the GPL as a basis to form a license with slightly different terms. The only restriction is that you have to do it in two parts.

Include the GPL test in your distribution.
State terms such as "This progrem is licensed under GPL version n, with the following exceptions:
Then state whatever you wish to change (example: you could add language permitting DRM usage to GPL v3).

There's nothing new about this: there's already a lot of "GPL with exception" code out there, sometimes done to permit linkage with code that has a GPL-incompatible license.