December 3, 1999

Open-Source Software and Copyright

To the Editor:

Michael Jensen wrongly implies that open-source software is not copyrighted ("Information Technology at a Crossroads: Open-Source Computer Programming," Point of View, October 29). ... In fact, the copyright under which much open-source software is written, the GNU General Public License, is a crucial aspect of its success.

The G.P.L. (also called "copyleft") was created by Richard Stallman of the Free Software Foundation in the early

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