Recipients Can Strip Added GPL Terms

Updated: 2026.04.18 3H ago 1 sources
When a project distributed under GPL/AGPL includes 'additional restrictions', the license explicitly permits downstream recipients to remove those extra terms; licensors cannot unilaterally clone a free license and then re‑impose limits on recipients. The FSF is publicly enforcing that rule in a high‑profile dispute with OnlyOffice and Nextcloud, showing how license stewardship can determine whether a fork remains genuinely free. — Clarifies a legal mechanism that preserves software freedom and affects how governments, enterprises and communities can re‑use or fork critical open‑source projects.

Sources

FSF to OnlyOffice: You Can't Use the GNU (A)GPL to Take Software Freedom Away
EditorDavid 2026.04.18 100% relevant
FSF licensing manager Krzysztof Siewicz’s blog post telling OnlyOffice to make clear it is AGPLv3‑licensed and that users may remove any further restrictions exemplifies the principle and enforcement action.
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