Z:gnu-www-ja-gnu-linux-faq--bd9029-The purpose of the GNU GPL is/en

The purpose of the GNU GPL is to protect the users' freedom from those who would make proprietary versions of free software. While it is true that those who call the system &ldquo;Linux&rdquo; often do things that limit the users' freedom, such as bundling non-free software with the GNU/Linux system or even developing non-free software for such use, the mere act of calling the system &ldquo;Linux&rdquo; does not, in itself, deny users their freedom. It seems improper to make the GPL restrict what name people can use for the system.