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by thwarted 5930 days ago
The government granted monopoly (copyright) is what gives open source licenses, like the GPL, their power. Depending on the exact license, you aren't allowed to make a copy of non-proprietary software either. Copyright doesn't say you aren't allowed to make a copy, it says that the owner of the copyright is allowed exclusive exploitation of the work, which is sellable/transferable to other parties, and is often restricted based on conditions -- with proprietary software, these conditions are usually only money changing hands.
1 comments

As far as i understand, GPL license is a "hack" for living in copyright world, until the abolishment of copyright.
Yes, this is called working within the system to subvert it. It applies copyright like no one else conceived of, at the time the GPL was created, to achieve an ends other than "make money".

If there was no copyright, or copyright is abolished, would there be a need for the GPL?