hessla
:: hacktivismo enhanced-source
software license agreement
Software that Hacktivismo releases under this License Agreement is intended to promote our political
objectives. And, likewise, the purpose of this License Agreement itself is political: Namely,
to compliment the software's intended political function. Hacktivismo itself exists to develop
and deploy computer software technologies that promote fundamental human rights of end-users.
Hacktivismo also seeks to enlist the active participation and involvement of people around the
world, to help us improve these software tools, and to take other actions (including actions
that involve using and distributing our software, and the advancement of similarly-minded software
projects of others) that promote human rights and freedom worldwide.
Because of our non-commercial objective of promoting end-users' freedoms, Hacktivismo has some
special, and admittedly ambitious, licensing needs. This License Agreement enhances the benefits
of published source code by backing up our human rights projects with appropriate remedies enforceable
in court.
The Freedoms We Promote: When we speak of the freedom of end-users, we are talking about basic
freedoms recognized in the Hacktivismo Declaration, the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights,the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other documents that recognize and promote
freedom and human dignity. Principal among these freedoms are: Freedom of Expression, Freedom
of Collective Action and Association, Freedoms of Thought, Conscience, Sexuality, and Religion,
Freedom of Privacy.
Developing a new software license is never a trivial task and this License Agreement has presented
special challenges for Hacktivismo. Because of our human rights objectives, this License Agreement
includes some specific terms and conditions that, as a technical matter, depart from the previously-recognized
and established definitions of "free" software and "open source" software.
We have therefore coined the term "enhanced source" to describe this License Agreement
because we have sought to combine most of the freedom-promoting benefits of "free"
or "open-source" software (including mandatory disclosure of any changes or modifications
Licensees make to the source code, whenever they release modified versions of HESSLA-licensed
Programs or other Derivative Works), with additional enhanced license and contractual terms that
are intended to promote the freedom of end-users. The Hacktivismo Enhanced-Source Software License
Agreement promotes our objectives in an enhanced manner by including contractual terms that empower
both Hacktivismo and qualified end-users with greater flexibility and leverage to maintain and
recover human rights, through the mechanism of the contract itself including terms that are designed
to enhance both our enforcement posture and that of qualified end- users in court.
To be sure, Hacktivismo enthusiastically endorses and supports the goals and objectives of the
Free Software movement and those of the open source community. In particular, we owe a special
debt of gratitude to the Free Software Foundation, to the Open Source Initiative, and to many
exceedingly talented people who have contributed to Free Software and open source projects and
endeavors over the years. From "The
Hacktivismo Enhanced- Source Software License Agreement Version 0.1", november 25, 2002.
related context
> the hacktivismo declaration:
assertions of liberty in support of an uncensored internet. july 18, 2002
> free as in freedom:
the life story of richard stallman. june 25, 2002
> fsf
award to guido van rossum: award for the advancement of free software. february 27, 2002
> copy.cult and the
original si(g)n. september, 2000 |
