In addition to these permanent reinstatements provided under v3, violators

who voluntarily correct their violation also receive provisional

permission to continue distributing until they receive contact from the

copyright holder.  If sixty days pass without contact, that reinstatement

becomes permanent.  Nonetheless, you should be prepared to cease

distribution during those initial sixty days should you receive a

termination notice from the copyright holder.

Given that much discussion of v3 has focused on its so-called more

complicated requirements, it should be noted that v3 is, in this regard,

more favorable to violators than v2.

However, note that most Linux-based systems typically include some software

licensed under GPLv2-only, and thus the copyright holders have withheld

permission to redistribute under terms of GPLv3.  In larger aggregate

distributions which include GPLv2-only works (such as the kernel named

Linux), redistributors must operate as if termination is immediate and

permanent, since the technological remove of GPLv2-only works from the larger

distribution requires much more engineering work than the negotiation

required to seek restoration of rights for distribution under GPLv2-only

after permanent termination.

\chapter{Standard Requests}

As we noted above, different copyright holders have different requirements

for reinstating a violator's distribution rights.  Upon violation, you no

longer have a license under the GPL\@.  Copyright holders can therefore

set their own requirements outside the license before reinstatement of

rights.  We have collected below a list of reinstatement demands that

copyright holders often require.

\begin{itemize}

\item {\bf Compliance on all Free Software copyrights}.  Copyright holders of Free Software

  often want a company to demonstrate compliance for all GPL'd software in

  a distribution, not just their own.  A copyright holder may refuse to

  reinstate your right to distribute one program unless and until you

  comply with the licenses of all Free Software in your distribution.

\item {\bf Notification to past recipients}.  Users to whom you previously

  distributed non-compliant software should receive a communication

  (email, letter, bill insert, etc.) indicating the violation, describing

  their rights under the GPL, and informing them how to obtain a gratis source

  distribution.  If a customer list does not exist (such as in reseller

  situations), an alternative form of notice may be required (such as a

  magazine advertisement).

is most likely to fund improvements on the software.

A few companies report that they have formed beneficial consulting or

employment relationships with developers they first encountered through

enforcement.  In some such cases, companies have worked with such consultants

to alter the mode of use of the project's code in the company's products.

More often in these cases, the communication channels opened in the course of

the inquiry served other consulting purposes later.

Feelings and opinions about this behavior are mixed within the larger

copyleft community.  Some see it as a reasonable business model and others

renounce it as corrupt behavior.  Regardless, a GPL

violator should always immediately determine the motivations of the

enforcer via documented, verifiable facts.  For example, COGEOs such as the FSF and Conservancy have made substantial

public commitments to enforce in a way that is uniform, transparent, and

publicly documented.  Furthermore, since these specific organizations are

public charities in the USA, they

are accountable to the IRS (and the public at large) in their annual Form 990

filings.   Everyone may examine their revenue models and scrutinize their

work.

However, entities and individuals who do GPL enforcement centered primarily

around a profit motive are likely the most dangerous enforcement entities for

one simple reason: an agreement to comply fully with the GPL for past and

adequate resolution for a proprietary relicensing company or grey hat GPL

\chapter{Conclusion}

GPL compliance need not be an onerous process.  Historically, struggles

have been the result of poor development methodologies and communications,

rather than any unexpected application of the GPL's source code disclosure

requirements.

Compliance is straightforward when the entirety of your enterprise is

well-informed and well-coordinated.  The receptionists should know how to

route a GPL source request or accusation of infringement.  The lawyers

should know the basic provisions of Free Software licenses and your source

disclosure requirements, and should explain those details to the software

developers.  The software developers should use a version control system

that allows them to associate versions of source with distributed

binaries, have a well-documented build process that anyone skilled in the

art can understand, and inform the lawyers when they bring in new

software.  Managers should build systems and procedures that keep everyone

on target.  With these practices in place, any organization can comply

with the GPL without serious effort, and receive the substantial benefits

of good citizenship in the software freedom community, and lots of great code

ready-made for their products.

\vfill