Wikipedia:GFDL upgrade

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Attention: Wikipedia does not give legal advice

From time to time, Wikipedia may upgrade its version of the GFDL. Wikipedia is now upgrading from "version 1.1 or later" to "version 1.2 or later". Version 1.2 has some extra clarifications, tidies up some loose ends, but is basically the same license.

We can legally do this because the previous license was 1.1 or later, and 1.2 is later than 1.1, so it all works out. Because "version 1.2 or later" is a more restrictive license than "version 1.1 or later" there is no requirement for us to get in contact with old contributors (or current contributors) and inform them of this change.

Because GFDL licenses are perpetual and cannot be retracted, you can continue to use old Wikipedia content under the 1.1 version, should you wish to do so, though you can also choose to use it under the 1.2 version (or any later version published by the FSF). However, text submitted after the switchover date cannot be used under version 1.1: only version 1.2 or later.

See also: Wikipedia:copyrights, Wikipedia:Text of the GNU Free Documentation License