Copyleft facts for kids
Copyleft is a special set of rules, called a license, for things like computer programs, books, music, or art. It's used for "free content" or "free software." When we say "free," it means you have the freedom to use, change, and share the work, not necessarily that it costs no money.
Copyleft uses copyright rules in a clever way. While regular copyright often stops people from changing or sharing a work, copyleft does the opposite. It uses copyright to make sure that everyone who gets a copy also gets the freedom to use, change, and share it.
Contents
What is Copyleft?
Copyleft is a type of license that lets people freely use, change, and share creative works. It makes sure that these freedoms stay with the work, even if someone else changes it. Think of it as a promise that the work will always remain "free" for others to use and build upon.
It's important to know that copyleft works are still protected by copyright. They are not in the Public domain, which means they don't have any copyright rules at all. Copyleft is a specific way of using copyright to promote sharing and openness.
How is Copyleft Different from Copyright?
Copyright is a legal right that gives the creator of a work control over how it's used. Often, it means you need permission to copy, change, or share something. Copyleft uses this same legal tool, copyright, but with a different goal.
Instead of restricting what you can do, copyleft makes sure you can always change, give away, or even sell the work. It's like saying, "I'm giving you this, and I want you to have the same freedoms with it that I have."
What Can You Do with Copyleft Works?
With a copyleft license, you are always allowed to change the work. You can also give copies of it to other people. You can even sell copies of the work if you want to. These are big freedoms that not all works offer.
Sharing Your Changes
Here's the main rule of copyleft: If you change a copyleft work and then share your new version, you must share it under the same copyleft license. This means your new work also gives others the same freedoms you received. For example, if you take a copyleft book and add new chapters, your new book must also be copyleft. This rule helps keep the content free for everyone.
Common Copyleft Licenses
There are a few popular copyleft licenses that many people use. One very well-known one is the GNU General Public License, often called the GPL. This license is used for a lot of free software.
Another common type is the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. This one is often used for things like photos, music, or written articles. Both of these licenses make sure that if you share a changed version, it keeps the same freedoms.
