Uppsala, Sweden-based MySQL’s vice president of community relations, Kaj Arno, confirmed the change in a blog posting shortly before Christmas, explaining that the change had been made in order to make it an option, not an obligation for the company to move to GPLv3.
Arno explained that the copyright notice for MySQL 5.0 and 5.1 had changed from GPLv2 or later to GPLv2 only but maintained that the company had not completely ruled out a move to GPLv3.
MySQL AB continues to work with the FSF for GPLv3 to be the new, widespread license under which free software is licensed. However, now, until we get clear and strong indications for the general acceptance of GPLv3 over GPLv2, we feel comfortable with a specific GPLv2 reference in our license, he wrote.
MySQL has been involved in the development of GPLv3, which is the first update to the Free Software Foundation’s core license for 15 years, and has proved to be highly controversial, even though it is not expected to be finalized until the spring.
In January 2006 Linux creator Linus Torvalds took advantage of Linux’s GPLv2 only license to declare in January 2006 that the Linux kernel would not be moving to GPLv3, before explaining his objections to anti-digital rights management clauses in the initial draft.
The anti-DRM clauses in GPLv3 are designed to prevent GPL-licensed code from being used in systems that prevent the code from running if it has been modified, but have triggered a split in the free and open source software movement, with some developers arguing that limiting hardware implementations should be beyond the scope of a software license.
In September 2006 10 of the core team of Linux maintainers released a position paper predicting the the Balkanization of the FOSS movement between those that support the FSF’s anti-DRM stance and those who take a more laissez-faire approach. Given that the GPL is used for an estimated 75% of all FOSS projects, any split could prove significant.
While MySQL’s decision to avoid being forced to move to the GPLv3 would seem to suggest it is in the latter camp, Arno also made positive noises about a later move to version 3. MySQL has been part of the GPLv3 Committee B advising FSF since the GPLv3 draft was announced in January 2006. For GPLv3, we have seen fantastic improvements and hope for GPLv3 to spread, he wrote.
He also noted that he had contacted the FSF’s general counsel, Eben Moglen, about MySQL’s decision, and noted Moglen’s confidence that the GPVv3 draft process would result in a license MySQL and others would be happy to adopt.
Looking at recent developments and announcements, I believe MySQL will soon be in a position to see the GPL v3 being adopted over GPLv2 by various free software projects, Moglen wrote in response.
