Z:gnu-www-ja-gpl-american-way--219e13-I designed the GNU GPL to upho/en

I designed the GNU GPL to uphold and defend the freedoms that define free software&mdash;to use the words of 1776, it establishes them as inalienable rights for programs released under the GPL. It ensures that you have the freedom to study, change, and redistribute the program, by saying that nobody is authorized to take these freedoms away from you by redistributing the program under a restrictive license.