Forum:Licensing update

Summary: Do you have any views on migrating from GFDL to CC-BY-SA?

The text of most Wikia wikis is available under a free content license called the GFDL. This license was chosen because it's the license that Wikipedia uses. Wikipedia uses it because it was the best option when they launched in 2001. But now there is a better suite of licenses from the Creative Commons. The latest version of the GFDL (1.3) allows a one-time migration from GFDL to the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License (CC-BY-SA). This license essentially gives everyone the same freedoms that the GFDL does - the content can be used for any purpose, derivatives must be released under the same free license, and attribution must be given.

Some of the advantages in switching license would be to remain compatible with Wikipedia (assuming they do switch), being able to share text with the many projects that already use this Creative Commons license, having a license that is simpler to use and understand, having a license which has been officially translated into many languages (the GFDL is only official in English).

Quoting from Wikimedia's information on this:
 * "The proposed license update is designed to achieve greater interoperability and greater re-use of free knowledge world-wide in service to our vision: a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge."

Tomorrow, Wikimedia will begin a vote for their editors to give an opinion on the proposal. Anyone with at least 25 edits to any Wikimedia project prior to March 15, 2009 can vote. (Note that Wikia isn't a Wikimedia project, so edits here are not counted.)

Any such migration would only affect wikis that are already under the GFDL.

More details can be found at Licensing update and FAQ. Any dual-licensing discussions you see there need not affect Wikia sites (though of course such arrangements can be made on a per-wiki basis like now if desired).

At this stage, I'm just interested to know your opinion on the proposal of migrating from GFDL to CC-BY-SA.

Angela (talk) 14:17, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

Comments

 * I personally think it is a good idea, especially if it makes things easier for sharing information and for users to understand the licensing realm. I've looked into the situation a bit in the previous weeks, and it appears to be the correct thing to do &mdash; and I haven't seen anything negative that could potentially come out doing this. Other people's thoughts or comments will hopefully provide some more constructive feedback on this. Greyman  [[Image:Logo-Sysop.gif|15px|This user is a Central administrator]] Talk &bull; Email 14:24, 11 April 2009 (UTC)