Latest version 3 DFSG compatible Yes | Published November 19, 2007 FSF approved Yes | |
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Author Publisher Free Software Foundation, Inc. | ||
The GNU Affero General Public License is a free, copyleft license published by the Free Software Foundation in November 2007, and based on the GNU General Public License, version 3 and the Affero General Public License.
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The Free Software Foundation has recommended that the GNU AGPLv3 be considered for any software that will commonly be run over a network. The Open Source Initiative approved the GNU AGPLv3 as an open source license in March 2008 after the company Funambol submitted it for consideration.
Compatibility with the GPL
GNU AGPLv3 and GPLv3 licenses each include clauses (in section 13 of each license) that together achieve a form of mutual compatibility for the two licenses. These clauses explicitly allow the "conveying" of a work formed by linking code licensed under the one license against code licensed under the other license, despite the licenses otherwise not allowing relicensing under the terms of each other. In this way, the copyleft of each license is relaxed to allow distributing such combinations.
Examples of applications under GNU AGPL
Stet was the first software system known to be released under the GNU AGPL, on November 21, 2007, and is the only known program to be used mainly for the production of its own license.
Flask developer Armin Ronacher noted in 2013 that the GNU AGPL is a "terrible success" as "vehicle for dual commercial licensing" and gave Humhub, MongoDB, OpenERP, RethinkDB, Shinken, Slic3r, SugarCRM, and WURFL as examples.
Some of the best-known examples of GNU AGPL licensed software include: