PKP Moves to GPL v3 Software License

By Alec Smecher

Starting with OJS/OMP 3.2, the Public Knowledge Project (PKP)  is moving from version 2 to version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPL) for its software releases. The software license is a legal document that safeguards free and open source software to keep it free and available to the community that builds it. The GPL is one of the most common free software licenses.

Version 3 of the GPL was finalized in 2007 and has become a fundamental part of the free software ecosystem. Most notably, this version adds improved compatibility with other free software licenses. As PKP software relies on many third-party packages with a variety of licenses, broad license compatibility is essential.

In 2018, we added a Contributor License Agreement (CLA) in order to ensure that we were capturing permission to make this license change from our contributors. You can read more about the PKP CLA here: https://pkp.sfu.ca/2018/10/01/pkps-new-contributor-license-agreement/

We don’t expect this change to have an impact on our users or contributors. If you have any questions or comments, as always, please feel free to contact us.

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