GPL-R

GNU² General Public License - Resurgent (GPL-R) - Draft 0.1

Preamble The GNU² General Public License - Resurgent (GPL-R) is a copyleft license created to defend the original Four Freedoms of Free Software in a modern context. It exists to reinforce the principles of user control, source code transparency, and redistribution rights, while explicitly guarding against contemporary threats such as SaaS lock-in, tivoization, license laundering, and telemetry-based exploitation.

This license is inspired by the spirit of GPLv2 and GPLv3, but it is a new license, restructured and refocused to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s Free Software users and developers.

Section 0: Definitions

• “Program” refers to any software covered by this License.
• “You” refers to the licensee.
• “Source Code” refers to the preferred form of the Program for making modifications.
• “Distribution” includes all forms of conveying the Program to another party.
• “Deployment” includes running the Program as a service, whether locally or over a network.

Section 1: Grant of Rights You are granted the irrevocable rights to:

• Run the Program for any purpose.
• Study and modify the Program.
• Distribute copies of the Program, verbatim or modified, under the terms of this License.
• Publicly deploy the Program as part of a network service or product.

Section 2: Copyleft Conditions Any modified or unmodified distribution of the Program must:

• Include complete corresponding Source Code.
• Preserve this License in full.
• Not be combined with code under a license that permits sublicensing under more permissive terms.

You may not use, integrate, or wrap this Program with non-copylefted software in a manner that enables license circumvention or closed redistribution.

Section 3: Anti-Tivoization Clause If you distribute the Program on a device or system that is locked or cryptographically restricted, you must also provide:

• The necessary keys, documentation, or scripts required to install and run modified versions of the Program on that device. Failure to provide this renders the distribution non-compliant and terminates your rights under this License.

Section 4: Network Use Clause (Resurgence AGPL Clause) If the Program is used to provide functionality over a network, including but not limited to web services, APIs, or SaaS platforms, and you modify the Program or its dependencies, you must provide:

• A prominent offer to access the complete corresponding Source Code.
• Instructions for obtaining, building, and installing the modified version.

This clause ensures that the Four Freedoms apply not only to binaries in boxes, but to software that users interact with through glass.

Section 5: Telemetry and User Data Programs licensed under GPL-R must:

• Not collect, transmit, or store user data without explicit and opt-in user consent.
• Not contain mandatory telemetry, fingerprinting, or remote disabling features.
• Document any and all data-collection behavior clearly in both source and runtime documentation.

Section 6: Patents By distributing or deploying the Program, you grant a worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable patent license for any patents you hold that would be infringed by the use, modification, or redistribution of the Program. Any attempt to enforce patents against users of the Program terminates all rights under this License.

Section 7: License Termination Your rights under this License will terminate automatically if you violate any of its conditions. However, such termination does not terminate the licenses of parties who have received copies in compliance with this License from you.

Section 8: No Sublicensing You may not impose further restrictions on the exercise of the rights granted or attempt to relicense the Program under more permissive or proprietary terms.

Section 9: No Warranty This software is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. You assume full responsibility for using, modifying, and distributing the Program.

Section 10: Versioning This is version 0.1 of the GNU² GPL-R. Future versions may be published by the GNU² Initiative with similar intent. Programs may specify “version X only” or “version X or later” when applying this License.

End of Terms