The Free Software Foundation (FSF) will release guidelines next month defining a process for discussion and comment on the GNU GPL 3.0, eWEEK.com reports. General Counsel Eben Moglen says the FSF hopes to give the community time to “absorb the process” prior to unleashing a draft GPL 3.0 in January.

The GNU General Public License (GPL) is the most popular software license in the world, used by an estimated one third of all open source software projects. The FSF officially launched an effort to make minor edits to the license last month, led by Moglen and rms (Richard M. Stallman), who originally authored the license in the early 80s.

The eWEEK.com story is based on an exclusive interview with Moglen, who is preparing to speak next week in Newton, Mass., at the Open Source Business Conference (OSBC). Moglen will be joined in a panel discussion entitled “GPL 3.0: Directions, Implications, Casualties,” by OSDL General Counsel Diane Peters and Eclipse Foundation Executive Director Mike Milinkovich.

“The GPL is now without doubt the single most important legal instrument in not only the software space but beyond. It has precipitated a sea-change in the understanding and philosophy of intellectual property. It is because of this great importance that the next version of the license has to be seen to be the best possible implementation of the wishes and needs of the free software community,” eWEEK.com reports Moglen as saying.

The complete eWEEK.com story can be found here.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.