GPLv3 draft 3 proposed patch for Apache License compatibility

Dear Free Software Foundation,

in your explanation of the changes made between GPLv3 draft 2 and GPLv3 draft 3, you write:

We regret that we will not achieve compatibility of the Apache License, Version 2.0, with GPLv3, despite what we had previously promised.

I share your regrets. License compatibility between the Apache License v2 and the GPLv3 would help tremendously to bridge some of the legal divide that hampers many FLOSS projects on a daily basis.

Therefore, I propose to patch GPLv3 draft 3 to explicitly state compatibility between the ALv2 and the GPLv3, by adding a section such as this one:

Notwithstanding any other provision of this License, you have permission to link any covered work with a work licensed under version 2 of the Apache Software License, and to convey the resulting combination. The terms of this License will continue to apply to your covered work.

(this text is nearly identical to section 13 of the GPLv3 draft 3 text, replacing "Affero General Public License" with "Apache Software License", and removing the assertion about the license that will apply to the apache-licensed work.)

Thank you for your consideration.

Best Regards,

Leo Simons

(the above is a copy of an e-mail sent to brett at fsf dot org)