About GNU GPL

I will introduce a small SWOT analysis of the GPL system, looking at the situation from strictly my point of view:

S
- high usability rate (since its free, users and developers have higher access to it)
- high usability satisfaction (since the code is available, it offers clients the ability to modify the software to meet one's needs)
- simplicity (as the code and software is unprotected, it is

W
- unable to capitalize (if everybody can modify your work and redistribute, it is absurd to ask money for your creation)
- high cost of doing business in comparison with the copyright field (using GPL one will lose incomes familiar to copyright section, eg. licence fees or update fees)
- lack of investors (because the business model is common only in software engineering, investors are afraid to put large amount of money into the project (planes are built by patents, sneakers by trademarking, films by copyright) - GPL doesn't follow the trend of the marketplace, being an alternative therefore never receives a lot of investments

O
- spread of the principle (for GPL to really gain ground, it is important to force-spread the GPL paradigm to different sectors of business. Wikinomics by Tapscott*)
- decrease of digital divide (if GPL turns into the main force behind software engineering, business and science can gloom in states other than US or EU, thus decreasing the monetary and information gap for example between Africa and the rest of the world)
- lower costs of doing business (as GPL mainly offers freeware, it is logical to assume, that the cost of doing business will lower for participants)

T
- Although the decrease of profits when using GPL would be imminent (thus a threat), I would assume the turnover would quite rise instead because of the new market-enterers, who gained opportunity thanks to GPL licenses.
- Rise of competition (although in economics, competition is greeted, it is still a false-greeting to me, as we see the majority of successful businesses in the world being monopolistic). GPL will definitely raise the competitive level, as new enterers are sure to access the market.
- Fragmentation of the market (as more and more new-comers enter the market, it would be impossible for the common-man to work with the computer. We all (in every age) can create documents using wordpad or Office - imagine now this sector being popular by 20 different software solutions. Some sort of it-speciality is needed then. Although PHP is a "free language", not much of the people know how to create it. First steps in that field by common people are made using Word (sic!), Dreamweaver of simply WYSIWYG methods offered by the platform (Google Docs).


In conclusion GPL is and was a very promising way of thinking about IP in the field of information technology. But if this perception doesn't spread, it will forever (or for a long period) be stuck in this field, always having to empower its existence and fight the ongoing waves of copyright in software engineering.