GPL only prevent people from adding restrictions which would stop the software from being free. If everyone agreed to only use MIT&#x2F;BSD licenses, we would not need GPL.<p>It is a clear cut that many who argue MIT&#x2F;BSD over GPL do so with the intention to add proprietary restrictions, while being dishonest in never talking about that aspect. Adding proprietary restrictions does not make something more free, and it attempts to frame the discussion to be about the word &quot;free&quot; rather than what licenses should be about: The intention of the author. If an author want to allow or not allow people to add proprietary restrictions, they are free to make that decision.