Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, is urging the crypto industry to adopt ‘copyleft’ open-source licenses as a response to a shift in the sector towards a more competitive and less collaborative ethos. In a recent blog post, Buterin expressed his evolving viewpoint from favoring permissive licenses, which allow free sharing and modification of code, to supporting copyleft licenses that require derivative works to also be open-sourced. He highlighted that the competitive nature of the crypto space has diminished voluntary code sharing, necessitating a stronger framework that enforces reciprocity. Buterin believes that copyleft can ensure that innovation benefits the entire community rather than a few closed-source entities, creating a more equitable code base that can only be utilized if users also share their modifications. He acknowledged the potential drawbacks of copyleft, such as being overly restrictive, but emphasized its growing relevance in today’s landscape where both traditional enterprises and the crypto industry are increasingly embracing open-source principles.

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