GNU Free Documentation License
Also known as GFDL, GNU FDL, Free Documentation License
copyleft license primarily for free software documentation
AI overview
The GNU Free Documentation License is a legal agreement that allows people to freely use, modify, and share written documentation—similar to how copyleft licenses work for software—while requiring that any changes remain under the same free terms. It matters because it helps ensure that educational and instructional materials can be improved and shared by communities rather than being locked behind proprietary restrictions.
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Wikidata facts
- Official website
- www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html
- Image
- GFDL Logo.svg
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The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or GFDL) is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights to copy, redistribute, and modify (except for "invariant sections") a work and requires all copies and derivatives to be available under the same license. Copies may also be sold commercially, but, if produced in larger quantities (greater than 100), the original document or source code must be made available to the work's recipient.
The GFDL was designed for manuals, textbooks, other reference and instructional materials, and documentation which often accompanies GNU software. However, it can be used for any text-based work, regardless of subject matter. For example, the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia has much of its content licensed under the GFDL (coupled with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License).