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Hey suppose I would like to create a new modification of the GPL 3.0 license, would I be allowed to copy the GPL, modify it, and then rename it to something else?

I.e. is the GPL license itself open source, as long as I call the new modification something different?

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marked as duplicate by apsillers♦ Sep 19 '18 at 11:11

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I actually think I found the answer:

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#ModifyGPL

You are allowed to modify the GPL into something else, as long as you call it by a different name.

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  • Note that the license of the license itself does not allow modifications: “Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.” – amon Sep 19 '18 at 8:52
  • is that restriction just making modifications and releasing them though? If you make modifications, and then rename it, remove the preamble and ending, I don't see how that fits with the ModifyGPL section of the GPL. – adangert Sep 20 '18 at 18:44
  • @adangert I think what amon is saying (though I can't know for sure) is that you do indeed have permission to modify the GPL, but that the permission to do so doesn't stem from the license itself, which explicitly fails to grant that permission. This is probably so the FSF could rescind or modify this permission in the future without needing to release a new version of the GPL. – apsillers♦ Sep 20 '18 at 23:59

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