Four tech giants using Linux change their open source licensing policies

The GNU Public License version 2 (GPLv2) is arguably the most important open source licence for one reason—Linux uses it. On November 27, 2017, three tech power houses that use Linux—Facebook, Google and IBM, as well as the major Linux distributor Red Hat, announced they would extend additional rights to help companies who’ve made GPLv2 open source licence compliance errors and mistakes.

The GPLv2 and its close relative, GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), are widely used open source software licences. When the GPL version 3 (GPLv3) was released, it came with an express termination approach. This termination policy in GPLv3 provided a way for companies to correct licensing errors and mistakes. This approach allows licence compliance enforcement that is consistent with community norms.