The purpose of this process is to ensure that all licences and software labelled as 'open source' conform to the standard open source definition held by the OSI to standardise and discourage duplicative licences.
The AGPLv3 was released by the Free Software Foundation last June as an addition to the GNU General Public License (GPLv3). Unlike GPLv3, the AGPLv3 licence enforces copyleft when software is distributed as a service (SaaS), which is a fundamental requirement when considering how consumers and enterprises purchase and use software today.
Commenting on the occasion, Fabrizio Capobianco, CEO, Funambol, said, "For companies committed to open source, this licence is very important as many applications today are delivered through the SaaS model. Funambol was happy to take the leadership role and help the AGPLv3 receive formal OSI approval and legitimice the licence for other open source companies to adopt."
"AGPLv3 is a useful tool for developers of, for example, Web applications who are seeking to ensure perpetual respect for end-users' freedoms. SFLC believes there are many development projects that would benefit from considering the use of AGPLv3, and we welcome the OSI's decision," said Eben Moglen, director, Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC). |
