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by jchw 256 days ago
When the program first boots there is a license click-through:

> Notice

> This page is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3).

> [ ] I have read and accept the license

I am not a lawyer, but this seems wrong or at least misleading. The GPLv3 isn't a license agreement or a contract (as I understand it, though it may still fall under contract law), it's a copyright license. The GPLv3 doesn't have any restrictions to "agree" to, it merely grants the recipient the right to redistribute said software under the terms provided in the license. Thus, asking the user to "accept" the license seems odd.

Nothing wrong with informing the user that the software is free software, but I think you can safely do away with one of those checkboxes.

3 comments

Thanks for bringing up the GPL-v3 click-through. I agree that the phrasing ('I have read and accept the license') may be redundant or misleading as the GPL is a license, not a contract.

I'll fix it in my next update.

This lawsuit theorises that it is a contract too:

https://sfconservancy.org/copyleft-compliance/vizio.html

I don't know the legality either but I have seen many NSIS installers require you to click agree to the GPL license text.