Bradley M. Kuhn

infobox person
name = Bradley M. Kuhn
birth_date = 1973
birth_place = flagicon|USA Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
occupation = FLOSS Community Liaison and Technology Director, Software Freedom Law Center
President, Software Freedom Conservancy
website = http://www.ebb.org/bkuhn/

Bradley M. Kuhn (born in 1973) is a free software activist from the United States. Kuhn is currently the FLOSS Community Liaison and Technology Director of Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) and president of the Software Freedom Conservancy. He previously served as the Executive Director of Free Software Foundation (FSF) from 2001 until March 2005. He is best known for his efforts in GPL enforcement, both at FSF and SFLC, as the creator of FSF's "license list", and as the original author of the Affero clause of the AGPL. He has long been a proponent for non-profit structures for FLOSS development, and leads efforts in this direction through the Software Freedom Conservancy.

Academia and early career

Kuhn attended Loyola Blakefield, followed by Loyola College in Maryland, graduating in May 1995 [cite web | author = Loyola College in Maryland, Department of Computer Science | authorlink = Loyola College in Maryland | title = Alumni: Class of 1995 | url = http://www.cs.loyola.edu/alumni/class95.html | accessdate = 2008-07-05 | date = 1995-05- | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20020302020907/http://www.cs.loyola.edu/alumni/class95.html | archivedate=2002-03-02] with a summa cum laude Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

Kuhn attended graduate school at the Computer Science of the University of Cincinnati. His graduate adviser was [http://www.ececs.uc.edu/~franco/ John Franco] . [cite web | publisher = OhioLINK ETD | author = University of Cincinnati | url = http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?acc_num=ucin983387768 | date = January 2001 | accessdate = 2008-07-05 | title = Bibliographical Entry for "Considerations on Porting Perl to the Java Virtual Machine"] Kuhn received a USENIX student grant scholarship for his thesis work. [cite web | url = http://www.usenix.org/students/sweb/archive/fellow_kuhn.html | author = USENIX | authorlink = USENIX | date = September 1998 | title = Student Research Grants | accessdate = 2008-07-05] , which focused on dynamic interoperability of free software languages, using a port of Perl to the Java Virtual Machine as an example [cite paper
last = Kuhn
first = Bradley
authorlink = Bradley M. Kuhn
title = Considerations on Porting Perl to the Java Virtual Machine
publisher = University of Cincinnati
date = January 2001
url = http://www.ebb.org/bkuhn/writings/technical/thesis/
accessdate = 2008-06-28] . Larry Wall served on Kuhn's thesis committee. Kuhn's thesis showed various problems regarding the use of stack-based virtual machines for Perl, and this discovery became part of the justification for the launch of the Parrot project.

Kuhn was an active participant in the Perl6 RFC Process, and headed the perl6-licensing committee during the process. [cite paper | first = Bradley
last = Kuhn
authorlink = Bradley M. Kuhn
title = The Copyright and Licensing Working Group
publisher = The Perl Foundation
date = 2000-08-02
url = http://dev.perl.org/perl6/rfc/13.html
accessdate = 2008-06-28] He authored all RFCs submitted to the process on licensing. [cite paper
first = Bradley
last = Kuhn
authorlink = Bradley M. Kuhn
title = Perl6's License Should be (GPL or Artistic-2.0)
publisher = The Perl Foundation
date = 2000-10-01
url = http://dev.perl.org/perl6/rfc/346.html
accessdate = 2008-06-28, cite paper
first = Bradley
last = Kuhn
authorlink = Bradley M. Kuhn
title = The Artistic License Must Be Changed
publisher = The Perl Foundation
date = 2000-09-12
url = http://dev.perl.org/perl6/rfc/211.html
accessdate = 2008-06-28, cite paper
first = Bradley
last = Kuhn
authorlink = Bradley M. Kuhn
title = Perl6's License Should Be a Minor Bugfix of Perl5's License
publisher = The Perl Foundation
date = 2000-09-13
url = http://dev.perl.org/perl6/rfc/219.html
accessdate = 2008-06-28]

Kuhn taught AP Computer Science at Walnut Hills High School for the 1998-1999 academic year, [cite web | last = Rura | first = Shimon | title = Proudest Non-software Hack | date = 2008-01-27 | url = http://rura.org/blog/2008/01/27/proudest-non-software-hack/] using a Linux-based lab built by the students themselves. [cite news | author = Camilla Warrick | title=Walnut Hills students convert computers at fraction of cost | url=http://www.cincypost.com/living/1998/shimon081298.html | publisher=The Cincinnati Post | date=1998-12-08 | accessdate=2008-07-05 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20000425233820/http://www.cincypost.com/living/1998/shimon081298.html | archivedate=2000-04-25 ]

Kuhn volunteered for the Free Software Foundation throughout graduate school, and was hired part time as Richard Stallman's assistant in January 2000. [Kuhn is seen posting to lists in his professional capacity around this time (cite mailing list | last=Kuhn| first=Bradley | authorlink=Bradley M. Kuhn | title=Forwarded Message for RMS |mailinglist=[e-mail] | url=http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc/2000-04/msg00007.html | date=2000-04-01 | accessdate=2008-07-05)] During his early employment at the FSF, Kuhn suggested the creation of and maintained the FSF "license list" page, and argued against license proliferation. [The earliest archived version of the license list has "bkuhn" listed as its creator. (cite web | author=Bradley M. Kuhn | authorlink=Bradley M. Kuhn | title=Various Licenses and Comments about Them | url=http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html | format=HTML | publisher=Free Software Foundation | date=2000-08-15 | accessdate=2008-07-05 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20000815065020/http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html | archivedate=2000-08-15 )]

Kuhn was also an early and active member of the Cincinnati Linux User Group during this period, serving on its Board of Directors in 1998 [cite web | author=Cincinnati GNU/Linux Users Group | title=Minutes from November CLUG Meeting | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20000824165955/www.clug.org/minutes/mtg981130.html | date=1998-11-30 | accessdate=2008-07-05 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20000824165955/www.clug.org/minutes/mtg981130.html | archivedate=2000-08-24 ] and giving numerous presentations. [cite web | author=Cincinnati GNU/Linux Users Group | title=CLUG Presentations | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20001204204100/clug.org/presentations/index.html | date=2000-12-04 | accessdate=2008-07-05 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20001204204100/clug.org/presentations/index.html | archivedate=2000-12-04 ]

Non-profit career

Kuhn was hired full-time to work at the FSF in late 2000, and was promoted to Executive Director in March 2001. Kuhn launched FSF's Associate Membership campaign, formalized its GNU General Public License (GPL) enforcement efforts into the "GPL Compliance Labs" [cite news | last = Corbet
first = Jonathan
title = The FSF GPL Compliance Lab
language = en
publisher = Linux Weekly News
date = 2002-11-13
url = http://lwn.net/Articles/15342/
accessdate = 2008-07-05] , led FSF's response to the SCO lawsuit [cite web | last = Kuhn | first = Bradley | authorlink = Bradley M. Kuhn | title = The SCO Subpoena of FSF | publisher = Free Software Foundation | date = 2004-05-18 | url = http://www.fsf.org/licensing/sco/subpoena.html | accessdate = 2008-07-05 ] , authored the Affero clause of the AGPL, and taught numerous CLE classes for lawyers on the GPL. [cite web
author = Free Software Foundation
authorlink = Free Software Foundation
title = FSF Bulletin - Issue No.2 - June 2003
publisher = Free Software Foundation
date= 2003-06
url = http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bulletin-002.html
accessdate = 2008-07-04] [An FSF press release again notes Kuhn to teach the seminars in January 2004. (cite press release
title = FSF To Host Free Software Licensing Seminars and Discussions on SCO v. IBM in New York
publisher = Free Software Foundation
date= 2004-01-02
url = http://www.gnu.org/press/2004-01-02-nyc-seminars.html
accessdate = 2008-07-04]

Kuhn left the FSF in March 2005 to join the founding team of the Software Freedom Law Center with Eben Moglen and Daniel Ravicher, [cite news | page = 1 | last = Gasperson | first = Tina | title = Bradley Kuhn makes a better world through software freedom | language = en | publisher = Linux.com | date = 2008-04-19 | url = http://www.linux.com/feature/132573 | accessdate = 2008-07-05] and subsequently established the Software Freedom Conservancy in April 2006. [cite news | author = ScuttleMonkey | title = New Conservancy Offers Gratis Services to FOSS | publisher = Slashdot | url = http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/03/1847227 | date = 2006-04-03 | language = en | accessdate = 2008-07-05]

At both the FSF and SFLC, Kuhn has been involved with all the major efforts in the United States to enforce the GPL. [cite news | last = Meeker | first = Heather | title = The Legend of Linksys | publisher = Linux Insider | date= 2005-06-28 | url = http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/qECCd2x743n32T/The-Legend-of-Linksys.xhtml | accessdate = 2007-08-11] [cite web | last = Turner | first = David | coauthors = Bradley M. Kuhn | title = Linksys/Cisco GPL Violations | date= 2003-09-29 | publisher = LWN.net | url = http://lwn.net/Articles/51570/ | accessdate = 2007-08-11] [cite mailing list | last=Landley | first=Rob | title=svn commit: trunk/busybox: applets include | mailinglist=[e-mail] | url=http://busybox.net/lists/busybox/2006-September/024593.html | date=2006-09-21 | accessdate=2008-07-05] At SFLC, he assisted Eben Moglen, Richard Stallman, and Richard Fontana in the drafting of the GPLv3, and managed the production of the software system for the GPLv3 Comment Process, called stet. [cite news | page = 3 | last = Gasperson | first = Tina | title = Bradley Kuhn makes a better world through software freedom | language = en | publisher = Linux.com | date = 2008-04-19 | url = http://www.linux.com/feature/132573 | accessdate = 2008-07-05] [cite web
url = http://www.softwarefreedom.org/technology/blog/2007/nov/21/stet-and-agplv3/
title = stet and AGPLv3
accessdate = 2008-06-14
author = Bradley M. Kuhn
last = Kuhn
first = Bradley
authorlink =
date = 2007-11-21
publisher = Software Freedom Law Center] He advocated strongly for inclusion of the Affero clause in GPLv3, and then assisted with the production of the AGPLv3 after the decision to move the clause to its own license.

Kuhn currently serves as FLOSS Community Liaison and Technical Director of the Software Freedom Law Center, and as president of an affiliated organization, the Software Freedom Conservancy.

Poker

Kuhn is an avid poker player and played professionally on a part-time basis from 2002-2007. [cite episode
title = Software Freedom, Lawsuits, And Poker
series = Linux Outlaws
url = http://linuxoutlaws.com/podcast/40
serieslink = Linux Outlaws
airdate = 2008-05-31
number = 40] Since January 2008, he has been a contributor to [http://pokersource.info PokerSource] [cite web
title = ChangeLog of PokerSource project
publisher = Gna!
date = 2008-07-04
url = http://svn.gna.org/viewcvs/pokersource/trunk/poker-network/ChangeLog
accessdate = 2008-07-06] , a GPL'd online poker system written and maintained by Loïc Dachary.

References

External links

Persondata
NAME=Kuhn, Bradley M.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=bkuhn
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American programmer; Free Software Activist; Hacker; Poker Player
DATE OF BIRTH=1973
PLACE OF BIRTH=Baltimore, Maryland