Strong Copyleft

Strong copyleft, a licensing approach requiring derivative works to also be open-source, is increasingly relevant in the context of large language model (LLM) training. Current research focuses on the legal and ethical implications of using open-source code, particularly under strong copyleft licenses, in LLM datasets, examining the prevalence of license violations and exploring alternative approaches like quantized low-rank adapters for more legally compliant fine-tuning. This research is crucial for ensuring the responsible development and deployment of LLMs, balancing the benefits of open-source data with the rights of creators and the avoidance of legal challenges.