GPL30orlater

GPL30orlater is a shorthand designation used in open source licensing to indicate that software is released under the GNU General Public License version 3.0 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. The term is commonly seen in license headers and SPDX-style notations as GPL-3.0-or-later, and it signals that recipients may choose which GPL version governs the work.

The key feature of this variant is the “or later” clause, which provides flexibility to adopt future GPL revisions without renegotiating terms. This preserves the copyleft requirements for redistribution and modification while avoiding a fixed, single-version lock. When software is labeled GPL30orlater, distributors must offer access to the corresponding source code and retain license notices, and derivative works generally remain under GPL terms chosen by the recipient (for example, GPL-3.0-or-later or a later GPL version).

Usage and implications: the “or later” approach is common because it improves long-term compatibility with evolving licenses and with other copyleft or permissive licenses in mixed-license ecosystems. It can, however, introduce license-compatibility considerations with non-GPL software or with code licensed under older GPL variants. Some projects opt for GPL-3.0-only to keep terms fixed, while others prefer GPL30orlater for greater flexibility.

See also: GNU General Public License, GPL-3.0, copyleft, SPDX.