# GPLv2 License The GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2) was released in 1991 by [[Richard Stallman]] and remains one of the most widely used open source licenses. It introduced the "Liberty or Death" clause (Section 7), which states that if legal restrictions prevent GPL compliance, the software cannot be distributed at all; ensuring freedom is never compromised. The Linux kernel famously uses GPLv2 (specifically "GPLv2 only," not "GPLv2 or later"), a decision [[Linus Torvalds]] has defended despite the release of [[GPLv3 License|GPLv3]]. This means the kernel cannot adopt GPLv3 provisions without relicensing, which would require consent from thousands of contributors. ## Key Features - **Copyleft**: Derivative works must be GPLv2 - **Source code access**: Must provide or offer source - **Liberty or Death**: No distribution if compliance impossible - **No patent grant**: Unlike GPLv3, no explicit patent provisions ## GPLv2 vs GPLv3 | Aspect | GPLv2 | GPLv3 | |--------|-------|-------| | Patent protection | Implicit | Explicit grant | | Tivoization | Allowed | Prohibited | | DRM | No provisions | Anti-DRM clauses | | Compatibility | Less compatible | More compatible | ## Notable GPLv2 Projects - **[[Linux]] kernel**: "GPLv2 only" - **[[Git]]**: GPLv2 - **[[BusyBox]]**: GPLv2 - **MySQL** (older versions) ## References - https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_General_Public_License#Version_2 ## Related - [[GNU General Public License (GPL)]] - [[GPLv2 License]] - [[GPLv3 License]] - [[Richard Stallman]] - [[Linus Torvalds]] - [[Linux]] - [[Free Software Foundation (FSF)]]