diff --git a/COPYING b/COPYING
index f1537d13..d159169d 100644
--- a/COPYING
+++ b/COPYING
@@ -1,11 +1,3 @@
-The license text below "----" applies to all files within this distribution, other
-than those that are in a directory which contains files named "LICENSE" or
-"COPYING", or a subdirectory thereof. For those files, the license text contained in
-said file overrides any license information contained in directories of smaller depth.
-Alternative licenses are typically used for software that is provided by external
-parties, and merely packaged with the Semantic MediaWiki release for convenience.
-----
-
                     GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
                        Version 2, June 1991