Free as in beer refers to things which are available at no monetary cost (like free beer at a party). While one is permitted to use the object (e.g., drink the beer) without payment, one does not necessarily receive any rights (e.g. take the beer home) or ownership. The expressions free as in speech, free as in freedom, or free as in rights, refer to something which is free of restrictions, like freedom of speech. One can use the object, reproduce it, repurpose it, and generally do what one will with it; usually the only restrictions applied are that credit be given to any entity that contributed to any resulting object and that such object be free as in speech as well. An example of a license with such grants and conditions is the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license.
Gratis versus Libre is the distinction between zero price and freedom. Gratis has been adopted as a (relatively uncommon) English word. However, libre has not, and there is no English adjective signifying only freedom. This distinction is of utmost importance in dealing with information as property.
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Website operated by Top Cola Inc. and not associated in any way with Free Open Souce Beer or any other project. You do not get free beer just by visiting this website. If you want a free beer and live in Toronto, Ontario, or are visiting, send an email to
and maybe I'll buy you one.