Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Buying the rights to proprietary programs to free them

[J.B. Nicholson]

Fabio Pesari wrote:
> We hear about companies like Facebook and Google buying out startups all
> the time and I thought, why don't we use crowdfunding to buy the rights
> to proprietary programs ourselves and release their code under the GPL?
> (Of course, we have to be sure all their dependencies are also free).

I believe this has been done before. According to 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_(software)#History Blender, the free 
rendering/editing program, was originally developed at Neo Geo and used 
internally, then later distributed as proprietary software by Not a Number 
Technologies. In mid-July 2002 the "Free Blender" campaign collected money 
to release the Blender source code under a free license with an option of 
also a non-free license. This option was never used and it was suspended in 
2005. A free software Blender was released on August 20, 2003 as version 
2.26. Today Blender remains free software licensed to all under "GNU GPLv2 
or any later".

It's a good idea, and a practical way to get more free software, get more 
free documentation, and when coupled with a strongly copylefted free 
software license (such as AGPLv3 or later), secure software freedom for the 
foreseeable future.