What if the GPL is actually a form of DRM?

What if the GPL is actually a form of DRM?

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Well, it is isn't it ;)

DRM is a technical measure, not a legal measure. The GPL doesn't prevent you from doing anything, at most it makes things illegal. It's not DRM, just like the Windows EULA is not DRM.

The GPL does try to guarantee that you can modify whatever uses it. If you get a DRMed piece of GPLed software you're legally allowed to (and legally required to have access to the means to) remove that DRM.

That only applies to GPL3. Before GPL3, tivoization was not violation of GPL.

Not all DRM is tivoization. GPLv2 already guarded against other kinds of DRM, and the set of things it tried to guard against includes DRM in general even if it doesn't succeed in covering it fully.

Not really. The GPL3 Tivoization clause says something like: you're not allowed to convey this software if the user is not given a key to allow them to run modified versions. If the GPL software implements DRM in its software, you could always remove that DRM because you're supposed to have access to the source code.

Kek

GPL is a process running in the background to police your legitimate use of software? Or do you meant some other form of copy protection? It's actually the protection to copy in perpetuity.

This is my bastardized take on it:

Digital Rights Management

..and really what's the difference between distributing source code, that needs to be built to work and a DVD that needs libdecss to be played?

You encrypt/write your content and give away the key/autoconf to use it. You just need the right tools to decrypt/compile it or make your own compiler/tool.

The only difference is that proprietary encryption based DRM protects only the rights of the salesman and source code DRM protects both the creator and the users.

$ apt-cache show vrmsPackage: vrmsVersion: 1.17Installed-Size: 39Maintainer: Debian vrms Maintainers >Architecture: allDescription-en: virtual Richard M. Stallman The vrms program will analyze the set of currently-installed packages on a Debian-based system, and report all of the packages from the non-free and contrib trees which are currently installed. . In some cases, the opinions of Richard M. Stallman and the Debian project have diverged since this program was originally written. In such cases, this program follows the Debian Free Software Guidelines. . Note that vrms is not limited to Debian systems only (which means that it also works with Debian-derived distributions such as Ubuntu). It is also not limited to Linux-based systems. . Future versions of vrms may include an option to also display text from the public writings of RMS and others that explain why use of each of the installed non-free packages might cause moral issues for some in the Free Software community. This functionality is not yet included.Description-md5: a02e909414546d8009f6e651de1e013dMulti-Arch: foreignHomepage: vrms.alioth.debian.org/Tag: admin::package-management, implemented-in::perl, interface::commandline, role::program, scope::utility, suite::debian, use::checking, works-with::software:packageSection: adminPriority: optionalFilename: pool/main/v/vrms/vrms_1.17_all.debSize: 12424MD5sum: 41bbcadaae161aa7bc0edb906bf3f787SHA256: 4b1d64fff050c413dfe27a47a6a41eb31b51e97396f1dca13ec5210ebcf4f183