The idea of copyright did not exist in ancient times, when authors frequently copied other authors at length in works of non-fiction. This practice was useful, and is the only way many authors' works have survived even in part.

I've campaigned for freedom since 1983 and I am not going to surrender that freedom for the sake of a more convenient computer. He objects to the use of binary blobs in open source projects such Linux Foundation Linux kernel and advocates Linux-libre as an alternative. Terminology

Stallman places great importance on the words and labels people use to talk about the world including the relationship between software and freedom.

In 1989 he co-founded the League for Programming Freedom. He campaigns for the freedom to use study distribute and modify software; software that ensures these freedoms legally (via its license) is termed free software. At the same time he encourages people who redistribute free software to charge as much as they wish or can.