FiG.org

The FiG Project was founded on May 6, 1998 by Gordon Matzigkeit and Lyno Sullivan. Initially, the FiG Project's purpose was to apply GNU copyleft to all copyrightable information, not just software (FiG was a dual acronym for FiG Is GNU, and FiG Isn't GNU).

Shortly after the founding, Gordon had an experience in which he came to believe that ideas are conscious, living entities, and that copyleft is an effective way of preserving the freedom of the ideas themselves, not just the people who benefit from them. To him at that time, FiG stood for Fractal Identity Generalization, expressing that personalities are made of other personalities at many different layers and scales.

The first FiG.org web site was created in September of 1998, proclaiming the FiG Project as having no agenda other than that of its members, and people around the world began declaring themselves as FiGs. The FiG acronym was made inclusive; people could find any meaning in it that they wanted, because the FiG Project was about individuality and diversity.

In 2006, the FiG.org web site was redesigned, with the intent of clarifying its central message. As of 2007, a more pratical approach has been taken, by beginning public development of software systems that reflect the FiG philosophy.