GPLv2 Installation Rights: A Historical Clarification and Ongoing Dispute
This article refutes the misconception that GPLv2 doesn't protect users' right to reinstall modified software. The author details FSF's (Free Software Foundation) handling of a GPL violation by TiVo in 2003 and clarifies the meaning of "scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable" in GPLv2. He argues that FSF and Conservancy have long held that GPLv2 requires providing the information necessary to reinstall modified software, a position reaffirmed through communication with FSF. The author contends that conflating GPLv3's added requirements with GPLv2, along with misinterpretations of the TiVo case, have led to a misrepresentation of GPLv2 installation rights. He calls for a focus on users' rights to repair and reinstall software and opposes companies' misrepresentation of the GPL license for profit.