CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <link rel="author" href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/graphics/gnu-head-mini.png" /> <meta name="ICBM" content="42.355469,-71.058627" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/layout.min.css" media="screen" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/print.min.css" media="print" />   <title>Essays and Articles - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> <style type="text/css" media="print,screen"></style>  <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.html" hreflang="x-default" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="en" hreflang="en" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.en.html" title="English" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ar.html" title="العربية" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.bg.html" title="български" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ca.html" title="català" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="de" hreflang="de" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.de.html" title="Deutsch" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="es" hreflang="es" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.es.html" title="español" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.fr.html" title="français" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ja.html" title="日本語" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.nl.html" title="Nederlands" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.pl.html" title="polski" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="pt-br" hreflang="pt-br" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.pt-br.html" title="português" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ro.html" title="română" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ru.html" title="русский" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.sr.html" title="српски" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" lang="zh-cn" hreflang="zh-cn" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.zh-cn.html" title="简体中文" />    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/server/banners/fundraiser.css" media="screen" /> <style type="text/css" media="screen"></style> <style type="text/css" media="screen">  #fundraiser { direction: ltr; } </style>  </head> <body> <div class="inner">  <div id="top"> <p><a class="skip" href="#content"><b>Skip to main text</b></a></p> </div> <div id='fundraiser'> <div class="message"> <p class="headline"><b>Come build a better world with us!</b></p> <p><a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=banner">Please don't scroll past this. We've been building a better world with free software since 1985. Today, we ask for your support. Only with your help can the FSF continue to be the cornerstone of a more just digital society! Donate to help us reach the goal of USD $400,000 by Dec 31.<span class="gnun-split"></span></a></p> <p class="button"><a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=banner">Donate<span class="gnun-split"></span></a> </p> <div style="clear: both"></div> </div> <div class="progress"> <div class="progress-bar"><span class="percentage">$37,394</span></div> <span class="goal">$400,000<span class="gnun-split"></span> </span> </div> </div> <div style="clear: both"></div> <div id="header" role="banner"> <p id="gnu-banner"> <a href="/"> <img src="/graphics/heckert_gnu.transp.small.png" height="48" width="49" alt=" [A GNU head] " /><strong>GNU</strong> <span class="hide">Operating System</span></a><br /> <small id="fsf-support">Supported by the <a href="#mission-statement">Free Software Foundation</a></small> </p> <div id="switches"> <div id="search-button" class="switch"> <a href="//www.gnu.org/cgi-bin/estseek.cgi"> <img id="search-icon" height="30" width="30" src="/graphics/icons/search.png" alt=" [Search www.gnu.org] " /></a> </div> <div id="language-button" class="switch"> <a href="#language-container"> <img id="language-icon" height="30" width="37" src="/graphics/icons/translations.png" alt=" [Other languages] " /></a> </div> </div> </div>   <div style="clear: both"></div> <div id="navigation" role="navigation"> <a id="more-links" href="#navigation" title="More..."> <span>Site navigation</span></a> <a id="less-links" href="#content"><b>Skip</b></a> <ul> <li id="tabAboutGNU"><a href="/gnu/gnu.html">ABOUT GNU</a></li> <li id="tabPhilosophy" class="active"> <span class='no-display'>=</span> <a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">PHILOSOPHY</a> <span class="gnun-split"></span> <span class='no-display'>=</span> </li> <li id="tabLicenses"><a href="/licenses/licenses.html">LICENSES</a></li> <li id="tabEducation"><a href="/education/education.html">EDUCATION</a></li> <li id="tabSoftware"><a href="/software/software.html">SOFTWARE</a></li> <li id="tabDistros"><a href="/distros/distros.html">DISTROS</a></li> <li id="tabDoc"><a href="/doc/doc.html">DOCS</a></li> <li id="tabMalware"><a href="/proprietary/proprietary.html">MALWARE</a></li> <li id="tabHelp"><a href="/help/help.html">HELP GNU</a></li> <li id="tabAV"><a href="/audio-video/audio-video.html">AUDIO & VIDEO</a></li> <li id="tabArt"><a href="/graphics/graphics.html">GNU ART</a></li> <li id="tabFun"><a href="/fun/humor.html">FUN</a></li> <li id="tabPeople"><a href="/people/people.html">GNU'S WHO?</a></li> <li><a href="//directory.fsf.org">SOFTWARE DIRECTORY</a></li> <li><a href="https://h-node.org/">HARDWARE</a></li> <li><a href="/server/sitemap.html">SITEMAP</a></li> </ul> <div style="clear: both"></div> </div>  <div id="content" role="main">  <div role="navigation"> <ul id="edu-navigation"> <li class="active"> <span class='no-display'>=</span> <a href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.html">Essays & articles</a> <span class="gnun-split"></span> <span class='no-display'>=</span> </li> <li><a href="/philosophy/speeches-and-interviews.html">Speeches & interviews</a></li> <li><a href="/philosophy/third-party-ideas.html">Third party ideas</a></li> <li><a href="/philosophy/latest-articles.html">Latest articles</a></li> <li><a href="/audio-video/philosophy-recordings.html">Recordings</a></li> </ul> </div>  <div class="reduced-width"> <h2>Essays and Articles</h2> <div class="thin"></div> <div class="comment"> <p>This page lists a series of articles describing the philosophy of the free software movement, which is the motivation for our development of the free software operating system GNU.</p> <p>The most important articles are marked with asterisks, and listed first in each category. The other ones are in reverse chronological order.</p> </div> <div class="toc"> <h3 class="no-display">Table of Contents</h3> <ul class="columns"> <li><a href="#aboutfs">About Free Software</a> <ul> <li><a href="#principles">Principles</a></li> <li><a href="#practice">Practice</a></li> <li><a href="#extension">Extension to other areas</a></li> <li><a href="#mix">Mixing free and nonfree</a></li> <li><a href="#free-open">Free software and open source</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="#upholding">Upholding Software Freedom</a> <ul> <li><a href="/gnu/gnu.html">The GNU Project</a></li> <li><a href="#fsmovement">The free software movement</a></li> <li><a href="#need">The need for free software</a></li> <li><a href="#action">Guide for action</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="#LicensingFreeSoftware">Licensing Free Software</a> <ul> <li><a href="/licenses/licenses.html">General information</a></li> <li><a href="#copyleft">Copyleft</a></li> <li><a href="#non-copyleft">Non-copyleft</a></li> <li><a href="#traps">Licensing traps</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="#Laws">Legal Issues</a> <ul> <li><a href="#patents">Patents</a></li> <li><a href="#copyright">Copyright</a></li> <li><a href="#noip">The propaganda term “Intellectual Property”</a></li> <li><a href="#sco">Response to SCO's attacks</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="#cultural">Cultural and Social Issues</a> <ul> <li><a href="#society">Digital society</a></li> <li><a href="#drm">Digital restrictions management and treacherous computing</a></li> <li><a href="#ns">Network services</a></li> <li><a href="#access">Accessing culture</a></li> <li><a href="#funding">Funding cultural works</a></li> <li><a href="#evils">Surveillance, censorship, lock-in, etc.</a></li> <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary.html">Proprietary malware</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="#terminology">Terminology and Definitions</a></li> <li><a href="/philosophy/third-party-ideas.html#humor">Philosophical Humor</a></li> </ul> <hr class="no-display" /> </div> <h3 id="aboutfs">About Free Software</h3> <p> Free software is a matter of freedom: people should be free to use software in all the ways that are socially useful. Software differs from material objects—such as chairs, sandwiches, and gasoline—in that it can be copied and changed much more easily. These possibilities make software as useful as it is; we believe software users should be able to make use of them.</p> <h4 id="principles">Principles</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[1996… ]</span> <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html"> What is Free Software?</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2015]</span> <a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html"> Free Software Is Even More Important Now</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/selling.html"> Selling Free Software</a> — This is OK!</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2012]</span> <a href="/philosophy/programs-must-not-limit-freedom-to-run.html"> Why programs must not limit the freedom to run them</a> (by RMS) — Freedom 0 must not be limited.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2007]</span> <a href="/philosophy/your-freedom-needs-free-software.html"> Your Freedom Needs Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1994]</span> <a href="/philosophy/why-free.html"> Why Software Should Not Have Owners</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1991]</span> <a href="/philosophy/shouldbefree.html"> Why Software Should Be Free</a> (by RMS) — An older and longer essay about the same topic as the previous one.</li> </ul> <h4 id="practice">Practice</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2023]</span> <a href="/philosophy/tivoization.html"> Tivoization</a> — When free software isn't free in practice</li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[1999-2011]</span> <a href="/philosophy/when-free-software-isnt-practically-superior.html"> When Free Software Isn't (Practically) Superior</a> (by Benjamin Mako Hill)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2015]</span> <a href="/philosophy/applying-free-sw-criteria.html"> Applying the Free Software Criteria</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2014]</span> <a href="/philosophy/imperfection-isnt-oppression.html"> Imperfection is not the same as oppression</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2011]</span> <a href="/philosophy/android-and-users-freedom.html"> Android and Users' Freedom</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1997-2011]</span> <a href="/software/reliability.html"> Free Software is More Reliable!</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="extension">Extension to other areas</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/free-doc.html"> Why Free Software Needs Free Documentation</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2020]</span> <a href="/philosophy/free-software-rocket.html"> Should Rockets Have Only Free Software? Free Software and Appliances</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2015]</span> <a href="/philosophy/free-hardware-designs.html"> Free Hardware and Free Hardware Designs</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2015]</span> <a href="/philosophy/loyal-computers.html"> What Does It Mean for Your Computer to Be Loyal?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2012]</span> <a href="/philosophy/network-services-arent-free-or-nonfree.html"> Network Services Aren't Free or Nonfree; They Raise Other Issues</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2000]</span> <a href="/philosophy/gnutella.html" id="Gnutella"> Regarding Gnutella</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="mix">Mixing free and nonfree</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">[2016]</span> <a href="/philosophy/when-free-depends-on-nonfree.html"> When Free Software Depends on Nonfree</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2013]</span> <a href="/philosophy/is-ever-good-use-nonfree-program.html"> Is It Ever a Good Thing to Use a Nonfree Program?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="/philosophy/mcvoy.html"> Thank You, Larry McVoy</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1998]</span> <a href="/philosophy/udi.html"> The Free Software Movement and UDI</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="free-open">Free software and open source</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2007-2021]</span> <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html"> Why “Open Source” Misses the Point of Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2015]</span> <a href="/philosophy/free-open-overlap.html"> How Free Software and Open Source Relate as Categories of Programs</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2013]</span> <a href="/philosophy/floss-and-foss.html"> FLOSS and FOSS</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2002]</span> <a href="/philosophy/linux-gnu-freedom.html"> Linux, GNU, and Freedom</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="/philosophy/drdobbs-letter.html"> Letter from RMS to the Editor of Dr. Dobb's Journal</a> on the distinction between open source and the free software movement.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1998]</span> <a href="/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html"> “Open Source Software” or “Free Software”?</a> (replaced by <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html"> Why “Open Source” Misses the Point of Free Software</a>)</li> </ul> <h3 id="upholding">Upholding Software Freedom</h3> <h4>The GNU Project</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><a href="/gnu/gnu.html">The GNU Operating System</a> — History, relationship with Linux, etc.</li> </ul> <h4 id="fsmovement">The free software movement</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/"> The official website of the Free Software Foundation</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2004]</span> <a href="/philosophy/use-free-software.html"> The Free Software Community After 20 Years</a> (by RMS) — With great but incomplete success, what now?</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/15-years-of-free-software.html"> 15 Years of Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/free-software-intro.html"> Free Software Movement</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="need">The need for free software</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2011-2017]</span> <a href="/philosophy/government-free-software.html"> Measures Governments Can Use to Promote Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2009-2014]</span> <a href="/education/edu-schools.html"> Why Schools Should Use Exclusively Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2014]</span> <a href="/philosophy/technological-neutrality.html"> Technological Neutrality and Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2013]</span> <a href="/philosophy/uruguay.html"> Lesson from Uruguay</a> — The FSF learned something from a bill presented in Uruguay.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="/philosophy/second-sight.html"> Free Software and (e-)Government</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="/philosophy/fs-and-sustainable-development.html"> Free Software and Sustainable Development</a> (by RMS) — A short article regarding the use of proprietary software in cultural development.</li> </ul> <h4 id="action">Guide for action</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2024]</span> <a href="/philosophy/the-moral-and-the-legal.html"> The Moral and the Legal</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2020]</span> <a href="/philosophy/saying-no-even-once.html"> Saying No to unjust computing even once is help</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2009]</span> <a href="/philosophy/fs-motives.html"> Motives For Writing Free Software</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2002-2020]</span> <a href="/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html" id="NoWordAttachments"> We Can Put an End to Word Attachments</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2019]</span> <a href="/philosophy/install-fest-devil.html"> Install Fests: What to Do about the Deal with the Devil</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2019]</span> <a href="/philosophy/upgrade-windows.html"> What Is the Right Way to Upgrade an Installation of Windows?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2018]</span> <a href="/philosophy/kind-communication.html"> GNU Kind Communications Guidelines</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2017]</span> <a href="/philosophy/hackathons.html"> Why Hackathons Should Insist on Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2014]</span> <a href="/philosophy/contradictory-support.html"> Beware of Contradictory “Support”</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2012]</span> <a href="/philosophy/devils-advocate.html"> Why the Devil's Advocate Doesn't Help Reach the Truth</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2010]</span> <a href="/philosophy/practical.html"> The Advantages of Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2009]</span> <a href="/philosophy/pirate-party.html"> How the Swedish Pirate Party Platform Backfires on Free Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2009]</span> <a href="/philosophy/lest-codeplex-perplex.html"> Lest CodePlex perplex</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2008]</span> <a href="/philosophy/ucita.html"> Why We Must Fight UCITA</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2008]</span> <a href="/philosophy/compromise.html"> Avoiding Ruinous Compromises</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2007]</span> <a href="/philosophy/social-inertia.html"> Overcoming Social Inertia</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2004]</span> <a href="/philosophy/my_doom.html"> MyDoom and You</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/kevin-cole-response.html"> A Response Letter to the Word Attachments</a> (by Kevin Cole)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/anonymous-response.html"> A Response to Word Attachments</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="LicensingFreeSoftware">Licensing Free Software</h3> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><a href="/licenses/licenses.html"> Licenses</a> — General information on licensing and copyleft</li> </ul> <h4 id="copyleft">Copyleft</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/why-copyleft.html"> Why Copyleft?</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[1998]</span> <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html"> Copyleft: Pragmatic Idealism</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2009-2017]</span> <a href="/philosophy/selling-exceptions.html"> On Selling Exceptions to the GNU GPL</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2014]</span> <a href="/philosophy/assigning-copyright.html"> When a Company Asks For Your Copyright</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/20050211.html"> Censorship envy and licensing</a> (by David “Novalis” Turner, on <i>fsf.org</i>)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2004]</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210228133128/https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/archive/downloads/research/gpl/OIIFB_GPL2_20040903.pdf"> English translation of the famous decision of the District Court of Munich</a> regarding the enforceability and validity of the GPL (by the translators of the Oxford Internet Institute, on <i>oii.ox.ac.uk</i>)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2002]</span> <a href="/philosophy/university.html"> Releasing Free Software if You Work at a University</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-way.html" id="GPLAmericanWay"> The GNU GPL and the American Way</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="/philosophy/gpl-american-dream.html" id="GPLAmericanDream"> The GNU GPL and the American Dream</a> (by Bradley M. Kuhn)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="/philosophy/freedom-or-power.html" id="FreedomOrPower"> Freedom or Power?</a> (by Bradley M. Kuhn and RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="/philosophy/rtlinux-patent.html"> GPL-compliant version of RTLinux Open Patent License in Works</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="/philosophy/enforcing-gpl.html" id="EnforcingGPL"> Enforcing the GNU GPL</a> (by Eben Moglen)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/using-gfdl.html" id="UsingGFDL"> Using the GNU FDL</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="non-copyleft">Non-copyleft</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/apsl.html"> FSF's Opinion of the Apple Public Source License (APSL) 2.0</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2000]</span> <a href="/philosophy/plan-nine.html" id="PlanNineLicense"> The Problems of the (Earlier) Plan 9 License</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1998]</span> <a href="/philosophy/netscape-npl.html"> On the Netscape Public License</a> (by RMS) [<a href="/philosophy/netscape-npl-old.html">older version</a>]</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1998]</span> <a href="/philosophy/netscape.html"> Netscape and Free Software</a> — An old article that clarifies some misunderstandings about an announcement by Netscape.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1997]</span> <a href="/philosophy/motif.html" id="MotifLicense"> The Motif License</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="traps">Licensing traps</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2009-2019]</span> <a href="/philosophy/javascript-trap.html"> JavaScript Trap</a> (by RMS) — You may be running nonfree programs on your computer every day without realizing it—through your web browser.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2004-2015]</span> <a href="/philosophy/java-trap.html" id="JavaTrap"> Free But Shackled - The Java Trap</a> (by RMS) — Although Sun has <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-welcomes-gpl-java.html"> relicensed</a> most of its Java platform reference implementation under the GNU General Public License, the issue described in this article still remains important.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1998-2009]</span> <a href="/philosophy/x.html"> The X Window System Trap</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2006]</span> <a href="/philosophy/sun-in-night-time.html"> The Curious Incident of Sun in the Night-Time</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h3 id="Laws">Legal Issues</h3> <h4 id="patents">Patents</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2012]</span> <a href="/philosophy/limit-patent-effect.html"> Giving the Software Field Protection from Patents</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2011]</span> <a href="/philosophy/europes-unitary-patent.html"> Europe's “unitary patent” could mean unlimited software patents</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2000-2007]</span> <a href="https://www.eff.org/search/site/dvd%20cases/"> EFF “Intellectual Property”: MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) DVD Cases Archive</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2006]</span> <a href="/philosophy/trivial-patent.html"> The Anatomy of a Trivial Patent</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="/philosophy/microsoft-new-monopoly.html"> Microsoft's New Monopoly</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/aug/02/comment.business"> Soft sell</a> (by RMS, on <i>theguardian.com</i>) — Comments on the defeat of the EU software patenting directive.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="/philosophy/bill-gates-and-other-communists.html"> Bill Gates and Other Communists</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="/philosophy/software-literary-patents.html" id="SoftwareLiteraryPatents"> Software Patents and Literary Patents</a> (by RMS) — Speaking of patenting artistic techniques, US patent (6,935,954) covers making game characters start to hallucinate when (according to the game) they are being driven insane. That is getting pretty close to the hypothetical examples cited in this article.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2004]</span> <a href="/philosophy/fighting-software-patents.html" id="FightingSoftwarePatents"> Fighting Software Patents—Singly and Together</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2005]</span> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/jun/23/onlinesupplement.insideit"> Patent absurdity</a> (by RMS, on <i>theguardian.com</i>)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/w3c-patent.html"> FSF's Position on W3 Consortium “Royalty-Free” Patent Policy</a> (rewritten)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/guardian-article.html"> Opposing The European Software Patent Directive</a> (by RMS and Nick Hill)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="https://www.eff.org/press/releases/princeton-scientists-sue-over-squelched-research"> Princeton Scientists Sue Over Squelched Research</a> (press release on <i>eff.org</i>) — In <cite>Felten v. RIAA</cite>, scientists ask a court to rule that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) does not prohibit them from publishing their research.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="/philosophy/hague.html"> Harm from the Hague</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2000]</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20000815064858/http://www.researchoninnovation.org/patent.pdf" id="SequentialIPandI"> Sequential Innovation, Patents, and Imitation</a> (by James Bessen and Eric Maskin, on <i>researchoninnovation.org</i>, archived) — This paper presents a mathematical model showing how patents can impede progress in fields like software.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/amazon-rms-tim.html"> Letter from RMS to Tim O'Reilly</a> in regard to a statement by Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, on the duration of software patents.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/amazon-nat.html"> Amazon Boycott Success!</a> (a letter from Nat Friedman to RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/amazon.html"> (Formerly) Boycott Amazon!</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/amazonpatent.html"> Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network</a> — Amazon patent with notes by RMS</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1997]</span> <a href="/philosophy/gif.html"> Why There Are No GIF Files on GNU Web Pages</a> — While this story is a historical illustration of the danger of software patents, these particular patents are now no longer a concern. For details of our website policies regarding GIFs, see our <a href="/server/standards/gnu-website-guidelines.html#UseofGraphics">web guidelines</a>.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/savingeurope.html"> Saving Europe from Software Patents</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/protecting.html"> Help Protect the Rights to Write Both Nonfree and Free Software</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/patent-reform-is-not-enough.html"> Patent Reform Is Not Enough</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="copyright">Copyright</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2002]</span> <a href="/philosophy/misinterpreting-copyright.html"> Misinterpreting Copyright—A Series of Errors</a> (by RMS) — About the flaws in popular defenses of copyright law.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/reevaluating-copyright.html"> Reevaluating Copyright: The Public Must Prevail</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2010]</span> <a href="/philosophy/public-domain-manifesto.html"> Why I Will Not Sign the Public Domain Manifesto</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2008]</span> <a href="/philosophy/freedom-or-copyright.html"> Freedom—or Copyright?</a> (by RMS) [<a href="/philosophy/freedom-or-copyright-old.html">older version</a>]</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2002]</span> <a href="/philosophy/eldred-amicus.html"> FSF's Brief Amicus Curiae in the <cite>Eldred v. Ashcroft</cite> Supreme Court case</a> (by Eben Moglen)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="/philosophy/push-copyright-aside.html"> Science must “push copyright aside”</a> (by RMS, first published in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050729110347/http://www.nature.com/nature/debates/e-access/Articles/stallman.html"> <cite>Nature WebDebates</cite></a> in 2001) — This article explains how copyright is impeding progress in scientific research. You may also be interested in <a href="https://plos.org/">The Public Library of Science</a>, which is dedicated to making scientific research freely available to all on the Internet.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2001]</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030604075825/http://www.humaninfo.org/copyrigh.htm"> Examples of Excellent Copyright Policies</a> (on <i>humaninfo.org</i>, archived)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="https://cyber.harvard.edu/openlaw/eldredvashcroft/cyber/complaint_orig.html"> Original complaint in <cite>Eldred v. Reno</cite></a> (on <i>harvard.edu</i>) — A lawsuit to overturn a law that extends copyright by 20 extra years.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/rms-comment-longs-article.html"> Comments on Roderick Long's Article</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="noip">The propaganda term “<a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#IntellectualProperty">Intellectual Property</a>”</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2004]</span> <a href="/philosophy/not-ipr.html"> Did You Say “Intellectual Property”? It's a Seductive Mirage</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2015]</span> <a href="/philosophy/komongistan.html"> The Curious History of Komongistan (Busting the term “intellectual property”)</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2006]</span> <a href="/philosophy/no-ip-ethos.html"> Don't Let “Intellectual Property” Twist Your Ethos</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/ipjustice.html"> Reject IP Enforcement Directive</a> — Comments on the rejection of this directive by the International Civil Liberties Coalition.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/boldrin-levine.html"> Review: Boldrin and Levine, “The Case Against Intellectual Property”</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="sco">Response to SCO's attacks</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003-2004]</span> <a href="/philosophy/sco/sco.html"> FSF's Position regarding SCO's attacks on Free Software</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/sco/sco-gnu-linux.html"> SCO, GNU, and Linux</a> (by RMS) — How SCO's lawsuit against IBM pertains to the work of the GNU project.</li> </ul> <h3 id="cultural">Cultural and Social Issues</h3> <h4 id="society">Digital society</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2012]</span> <a href="/philosophy/stallmans-law.html"> Stallman's Law</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2009]</span> <a href="/philosophy/digital-inclusion-in-freedom.html"> Is Digital Inclusion A Good Thing? How Can We Make Sure It Is?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2007]</span> <a href="/philosophy/computing-progress.html"> Computing “progress”: good and bad</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2003]</span> <a href="/philosophy/wsis.html"> World Summit on the Information Society</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="drm">Digital restrictions management and treacherous computing</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2006]</span> <a href="/philosophy/opposing-drm.html"> Opposing Digital Rights Mismanagement</a> (by RMS) — Answers to a few common questions about DRM.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2002]</span> <a href="/philosophy/can-you-trust.html"> Can You Trust Your Computer?</a> (by RMS) — About the so-called “trusted computing” initiatives.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2013]</span> <a href="/philosophy/nonfree-games.html"> Nonfree DRM'd Games on GNU/Linux: Good or Bad?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2012]</span> <a href="/philosophy/correcting-france-mistake.html"> Correcting My Mistake about French Law</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="ns">Network Services</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2010-2020]</span> <a href="/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html"> Who does that server really serve?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2020]</span> <a href="/philosophy/posting-videos.html"> Posting Videos</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2015]</span> <a href="/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html"> What's Wrong with YouTube</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2014]</span> <a href="/philosophy/bug-nobody-allowed-to-understand.html"> The Bug Nobody is Allowed to Understand</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2011]</span> <a href="/philosophy/judge-internet-usage.html"> A wise user judges each Internet usage scenario carefully</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2011]</span> <a href="/philosophy/keep-control-of-your-computing.html"> Keep control of your computing, so it doesn't control you!</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="access">Accessing culture</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[1996-2016]</span> <a href="/philosophy/right-to-read.html"> The Right to Read: A Dystopian Short Story</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2012]</span> <a href="/philosophy/ebooks-must-increase-freedom.html"> Ebooks must increase our freedom, not decrease it</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2011]</span> <a href="/philosophy/the-danger-of-ebooks.html"> The Danger of E-Books</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2010]</span> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2010/apr/06/digital-economy-bill-richard-stallman"> Digital economy bill: One clown giveth and the other clown taketh away</a> (by RMS, on <i>theguardian.com</i>)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2000]</span> <a href="/philosophy/ebooks.html"> Ebooks: Freedom Or Copyright</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2000]</span> <a href="/encyclopedia/free-encyclopedia.html"> The Free Universal Encyclopedia and Learning Resource</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/new-monopoly.html"> U.S. Congress Threatens to Establish a New Kind of Monopoly</a> — An attempt of the Congress to create a private monopoly over repeating publicly known information.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/stophr3028.html"> Stop H.R. 3028 - Protect the Net - Stop the Trademark Monopolists</a> (by Marc Rotenberg)</li> </ul> <h4 id="funding">Funding cultural works</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">[2013]</span> <a href="/philosophy/funding-art-vs-funding-software.html"> Funding Art vs Funding Software</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1992]</span> <a href="/philosophy/dat.html"> The Right Way to Tax DAT</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h4 id="evils">Surveillance, censorship, lock-in, etc.</h4> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2013… ]</span> <a href="/proprietary/proprietary.html"> Proprietary Software Is Often Malware</a> — Clearly established cases of proprietary software that does nasty things to the users.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">*[2015-2019]</span> <a href="/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html"> How Much Surveillance Can Democracy Withstand?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2021]</span> <a href="/philosophy/wwworst-app-store.html"> The WWWorst App Store</a> (by Alexandre Oliva)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2018]</span> <a href="/philosophy/phone-anonymous-payment.html"> Anonymous Payment by Phone</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2018]</span> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/03/facebook-abusing-data-law-privacy-big-tech-surveillance"> A radical proposal to keep your personal data safe</a> (by RMS, on <i>theguardian.com</i>)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2018]</span> <a href="/philosophy/surveillance-testimony.html"> Surveillance Testimony</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2012]</span> <a href="/philosophy/ubuntu-spyware.html"> Ubuntu Spyware: What to Do?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2009]</span> <a href="/philosophy/microsoft.html"> Is Microsoft the Great Satan?</a> [<a href="/philosophy/microsoft-old.html">older version</a>]</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2008]</span> <a href="/philosophy/the-root-of-this-problem.html"> The Problem Is Software Controlled By Its Developer</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2008]</span> <a href="/philosophy/gates.html"> It's not the Gates, it's the bars</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2002]</span> <a href="/philosophy/wassenaar.html"> The Wassenaar Arrangement</a> — Encryption software volunteers needed in countries without export control.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2002]</span> <a href="/philosophy/ms-doj-tunney.html"> FSF's Statement in Response to Proposed Revised Final Judgment in <cite>Microsoft v. United States</cite></a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2000]</span> <a href="/philosophy/microsoft-verdict.html"> On the Microsoft Verdict</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999]</span> <a href="/philosophy/microsoft-antitrust.html"> The Microsoft Antitrust Trial and Free Software</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/privacyaction.html"> Protect Postal Privacy</a> (by Kathleen Ellis) — A campaign to resist the proposed rule by the United States Postal Service to collect private information from customers.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/basic-freedoms.html"> Freedoms of Speech, Press, and Association</a> — How to protect these freedoms on the Internet.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1996]</span> <a href="/philosophy/censoring-emacs.html"> Censoring My Software</a> (by RMS)</li> </ul> <h3 id="terminology">Terminology and Definitions</h3> <ul class="no-bullet"> <li><span class="date-tag">*[1996… ]</span> <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html"> Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1999… ]</span> <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html"> Translations of the term “free software”</a> into various languages.</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[1996-2019]</span> <a href="/philosophy/categories.html"> Categories of Free and Nonfree Software</a></li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2013]</span> <a href="/philosophy/why-call-it-the-swindle.html"> Why Call It The Swindle?</a> (by RMS)</li> <li><span class="date-tag">[2002]</span> <a href="/philosophy/wipo-PublicAwarenessOfCopyright-2002.html"> Public Awareness of Copyright, WIPO, June 2002</a> (by RMS) — How WIPO recognizes that their system is designed to restrict the public, and how they propose to modify terminology so that people won't notice.</li> </ul> </div> </div>  <div style="clear:both"></div> <div id="language-container"> <div class="backtotop"> <hr class="no-display" /> <a href="#top"><b>▲</b></a> </div> <div id="languages" class="rounded-corners"> <div class="button"> <a href="#top" class="close"><span>BACK TO TOP</span></a> </div> <div id="set-language" class="button"> <span class="gnun-split"></span> <a href="/server/select-language.html?callback=/philosophy/essays-and-articles.html" rel="nofollow"> Set language <span class="gnun-split"></span> </a> </div> <p>Available for this page:</p> <div id="translations"> <p> <span dir="ltr" class="original">[en] <a lang="en" hreflang="en" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.en.html">English</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[ar] <a lang="ar" hreflang="ar" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ar.html">العربية</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[bg] <a lang="bg" hreflang="bg" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.bg.html">български</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[ca] <a lang="ca" hreflang="ca" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ca.html">català</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[de] <a lang="de" hreflang="de" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.de.html">Deutsch</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[es] <a lang="es" hreflang="es" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.es.html">español</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[fr] <a lang="fr" hreflang="fr" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.fr.html">français</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[ja] <a lang="ja" hreflang="ja" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ja.html">日本語</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[nl] <a lang="nl" hreflang="nl" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.nl.html">Nederlands</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[pl] <a lang="pl" hreflang="pl" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.pl.html">polski</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[pt-br] <a lang="pt-br" hreflang="pt-br" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.pt-br.html">português</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[ro] <a lang="ro" hreflang="ro" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ro.html">română</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[ru] <a lang="ru" hreflang="ru" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.ru.html">русский</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[sr] <a lang="sr" hreflang="sr" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.sr.html">српски</a>  </span> <span dir="ltr">[zh-cn] <a lang="zh-cn" hreflang="zh-cn" href="/philosophy/essays-and-articles.zh-cn.html">简体中文</a>  </span> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="mission-statement" role="complementary"> <div class="backtotop"> <hr class="no-display" /> <a href="#header"><span>BACK TO TOP </span>▲</a> </div> <div style="clear: both"></div> <blockquote> <p style="direction:ltr; text-align:left"><a href="//www.fsf.org"><img id="fsfbanner" src="/graphics/fsf-logo-notext-small.png" alt=" [FSF logo] " width="75" height="25" /></a><strong> “The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom. We defend the rights of all software users.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <div id="support-the-fsf" class="button"> <a class="join" href="//www.fsf.org/associate/support_freedom?referrer=4052">JOIN</a> <a class="donate" href="//donate.fsf.org/">DONATE</a> <a class="shop" href="//shop.fsf.org/">SHOP</a> </div> </div>  <div id="footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="unprintable"> <p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> <p> Please see the <a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations README</a> for information on coordinating and contributing translations of this article.</p> </div>  <p>Copyright © 1996-2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p> <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>  <div id="bottom-notes" class="unprintable"> <p><a href="//www.fsf.org/about/dmca-notice">Copyright Infringement Notification</a></p> <div id="generic"> </div> </div>  <p class="unprintable">Updated:  $Date: 2024/01/17 10:55:52 $  </p> </div> </div> </body> </html>