We've discussed this on IRC a few times, I'm putting this out on the list for anyone who wasn't part of those discussions.
The AGPLv3 was recently released which is identical to the GPLv3 except for this one clause: < 13. Use with the GNU Affero General Public License. > 13. Remote Network Interaction; Use with the GNU General Public License. ''' Notwithstanding any other provision of this License, if you modify the Program, your modified version must prominently offer all users interacting with it remotely through a computer network (if your version supports such interaction) an opportunity to receive the Corresponding Source of your version by providing access to the Corresponding Source from a network server at no charge, through some standard or customary means of facilitating copying of software. This Corresponding Source shall include the Corresponding Source for any work covered by version 3 of the GNU General Public License that is incorporated pursuant to the following paragraph. Notwithstanding any other provision of this License, you have permission to link or combine any covered work with a work licensed under version 3 of the GNU General Public License into a single combined work, and to convey the resulting work. The terms of this License will continue to apply to the part which is the covered work, but the work with which it is combined will remain governed by version 3 of the GNU General Public License. ''' In laymen's terms, if PySoy is used on a network by others (ie, as a server, in a p2p arrangement, etc), any modifications or additions including game code and content would need to be available. The purpose of this is: - prevent "secret server code" models from taking root, thus keeping games copyleft - ensure that game code running remotely as a Firefox plugin will have the GPLv3 terms apply as well - since game clients will provide services to each other, mods/hacks must (legally) be shared We'll still be able to link to anything we could with the GPLv3 license, and the AGPLv3 terms only go into effect when networking is enabled. While we have no integrated network code right now, switching now vs closer to 1.0_beta4 release would prevent forking to avoid the AGPLv3 terms back to the current revision. Now to be clear, a 3rd party could release PySoy under the AGPLv3 without our permission. The GPLv3 allows this. Because this is a community project, and this does reflect a change of licensing, I'm putting this out to receive feedback from all developers.
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