📄 Open license 🔄 Free to share 📝 To license openly

copyleft

7.2

Allowing people to use, change, and share a work if they keep the same rights

adjective
/ˈkoʊpɪlɛft/

Specialized

: copyleft

Many artists prefer copyleft licenses for their work.

Examples

The software was released under a copyleft license, allowing anyone to modify and share it.
Many educational resources are now available as copyleft materials to promote open access.
By choosing a copyleft approach, the creators ensured their work would remain free for everyone.
The software is licensed under a copyleft agreement.
Many open-source projects utilize a copyleft license to encourage sharing and collaboration.
The author chose a copyleft approach for his book, allowing readers to modify and share it freely.
Using a copyleft license ensures that any derivative work maintains the same freedoms for future users.

Antonyms

exclusive

399 5.4

Only for one person, group, or purpose and not shared

proprietary

Specialized

57 7.0

A product owned and sold only by the company that made it

How Broad

copyleft

Specialized

7.2

assignment

Formal

11 5.3

licensing agreement

Formal

3 4.2

Surface Forms

copyleft positive

Morphology

copyleft = copy + left (opaque) = copy + left

The term 'copyleft' is a play on 'copyright' and its meaning is not transparently derived from 'copy' and 'left'.

Etymology

Copyleft comes from joining copy and left, a playful change on copyright that replaces 'right' with left. So, calling something copyleft helps you remember it is meant to be copied and shared under rules that keep it free for everyone.