The WordPress developers have just clarified its license as “GPL version 2 or later,” putting an end to some frequent confusion.
WordPress contains libraries which are licensed under the GPL “version 2 or any later version,” which obviously excludes version 1 of the GPL. Here is the reality: the GPL version 1 is effectively irrelevant. It hasn’t been a commonly used license since before Matt Mullenweg was in third grade! Clarifying WordPress as being licensed under the GPL “version 2 or later” resolves these niggling library licensing concerns or ambiguities, and clarifies where WordPress stands.
As with any licensing discussion, the post has generated some interesting comments, which makes for some entertaining (if not educational) weekend reading.
