FTF releases legal infrastructure guide for Free Software projects
2009-01-23, Zurich, Graeme West, FSFE
FSFE's Freedom Task Force (FTF) is pleased to announce the release of a
guide to assist with establishing legal infrastructure for Free Software
projects.
The guide [1] gives tips on how Free Software projects can consolidate
their legal position. It includes information about setting up legal
entities, dealing with copyright issues, managing trademarks, and best
practices for project management.
"When projects start to become successful, it's important for their
members to consider what structures will scale successfully, be
compatible with the founding principles, and protect the integrity of
the project community", says Shane Coughlan, FTF Coordinator. "This
guide provides a starting point for internal debate, and can help
projects prepare a description of their requirements for consultation
with experts."
"Every project is different, but all can benefit from ensuring they
have a sound legal basis", explains Graeme West, FTF Intern. The guide
was authored by FTF staff in consultation with members of the FTF
European Legal Network. It is available as part of the newly redesigned
FTF web site [2], where other guides on topics like licence compliance
can also be found.
[1] http://www.fsfeurope.org/projects/ftf/building-legal-infrastructure
[2] http://www.fsfeurope.org/ftf/
About the Freedom Task Force
The Freedom Task Force is an activity run by Free Software Foundation
Europe to help people understand Free Software licensing and the
opportunities it presents. We offer educational services, facilitate
larger infrastructure activities and manage FSFE's legal affairs.
Our goals are to share knowledge about Free Software law, to
safeguard the interests of Free Software projects, to connect
experts in this field and to help other groups achieve similar goals.
We believe in positive, constructive dialogue and seek at all times
to support the long-term sustainability of Free Software.
The FTF's homepage can be found at http://www.fsfeurope.org/ftf
You can contact us via email: ftf @ fsfeurope.org
You can phone us at:
Belgium: +32 2 747 03 57 Ext. 22
Germany: +49 700 373 38 76 73 Ext. 22
Sweden: +46 31 7802160 Ext. 22
Switzerland: +41 43 500 03 66 Ext. 22
UK: +44 29 200 08 17 7 Ext. 22
Press contact: Shane Coughlan, FTF Coordinator, FSFE extension: 408
About the Free Software Foundation Europe:
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in the
information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free Software
Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the furthering of
Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study, modify and
copy.Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues, securing Free
Software politically and legally, and giving people Freedom by
supporting development of Free Software are central issues of the FSFE.
FSFE's homepage can be found at http://www.fsfeurope.org
You can reach the FSFE switchboard from:
Belgium: +32 2 747 03 57
Germany: +49 700 373 38 76 73
Sweden: +46 31 7802160
Switzerland: +41 43 500 03 66
UK: +44 29 200 08 17 7
Further information: http://www.fsfeurope.org
Web browser interoperability: FSFE welcomes EC's decision and offers support
On the 16th of January the European Commission DG Competition reported
that it had issued a statement of objections regarding Microsoft's
tying of Internet Explorer (IE) to the Windows Operating System
product family. This action builds on a complaint originally
submitted by Opera, a European company involved in web browser
development.
Free Software Foundation Europe welcomes the European Commission's
decision and offers its support in the coming anti-trust
investigation. As stated previously in a letter to the European
Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, anti-competitive behaviour is
unacceptable, whether it occurs as 'tying' products with dominant
market segments, or in circumventing standards and fair access.
"Web browsers are becoming a critical platform for home and business
computing," says Shane Coughlan, legal coordinator at FSFE. "The
market previously failed to prevent unfair distortion of the desktop
environment and we cannot allow such practices to be repeated."
"It is important that no business in Europe is allowed to institute
any policy of embracing, extending and extinguishing competition
either through manipulation of interoperability information or through
abuse of a dominant position by unfair tying and bundling of
products," says Georg Greve, FSFE President. "Microsoft is a company
that has previously been convicted of market distortion in the Work
Group Server market, and we would welcome if the Commission also took
up the antitrust complaint initially lodged in early 2006 by the
European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS) regarding market
abuse in other areas."
For FSFE's previous statement on this issue please see:
http://www.fsfeurope.org/news/2007/news-20071221-01
For FSFE's letter to the European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes
please see:
http://fsfeurope.org/documents/20071219-opera-antitrust.pdf
About the Free Software Foundation Europe:
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these
issues, securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving
people Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central
issues of the FSFE.
http://fsfeurope.org
Press contact: greve(a)fsfeurope.org
General contact:
You can reach the FSFE switchboard from:
Belgium: +32 2 747 03 57
Germany: +49 700 373 38 76 73
Sweden: +46 31 7802160
Switzerland: +41 43 500 03 66
UK: +44 29 200 08 17 7
I'm happy to begin my first newsletter with a call for financial
support. To stay financially independent, FSFE relies on the Free
Software community. We have the pure goal of protecting users' rights
and spreading software freedom, and this is enabled by a large number
of people making small and medium sized donations. Like you.
To protect everyone's freedom to write software, and to spread
software freedom, please help us encouage people to join the
Fellowship (http://fellowship.fsfe.org/), or to make a donation and
get listed on our Thank GNUs page.
Ciaran O'Riordan, FSFE Brussels Office
1. Analysis of Patents in Standardisation
2. FSFE thanks Jonas Oberg for years of work as Vice President
3. FTF talks strategy with the European embedded Linux industry
4. Get your 'Windows Tax' rebate!
5. Project spotlight: UN & WIPO lobbying
6. This time in 2007
7. Upcoming events
1. Analysis of Patents in Standardisation
Following up on the November "IPR in ICT Standardisation" Workshop in
Brussels, FSFE president Georg C. F. Greve analysed the conflicts between
patents and standards. The result is a paper about the most harmful
effects of patents on standards, the effectiveness of current
remedies, and potential future remedies.
http://fsfeurope.org/projects/os/ps
2. FSFE thanks Jonas Oberg for years of work as Vice President
FSFE's General Assembly would like to thank Jonas Öberg for his years
of service as Vice President of FSFE. His hard work has ensured the
functioning of internal structures such as financial and policy
setting. As vice-president, Jonas was a driving force in two
restructurings of the organisation and his efforts will be visible in
FSFE for years to come.
Taking over as interim Vice President until the next General Assembly
meeting, FSFE would like to welcome aboard Pablo Machon.
3. FTF talks strategy with the European embedded Linux industry
Shane Coughlan, Freedom Task Force coordinator at FSFE, delivered a talk
entitled 'The strategic implementation of Free Software in business'
at the CELF Embedded Linux Conference Europe 2008 on Friday 7th
November in Ede, Netherlands.
Shane discusssed how successful implementation of a Free Software
business strategy is assisted by the kind of generic market knowledge
which members of the FTF's European Legal Network have been working to
develop over the past several months.
FSFE was also present at the NLUUG conference which took place the
previous day, to spread the word and connect with local FSFE Fellows.
4. Get your 'Windows Tax' rebate!
Members of FSFE's German chapter are in the process of collecting
information about how to reclaim the cost of Microsoft Windows licensing
fees from computer hardware manufacturers.
The Fellows are collaborating in a public wiki page, and we would like to
invite contributions. Showing which firms have fair policies on this
issue is a great way of making it easy for consumers to incorporate
this into their buying decisions, and thus influence corporate policies.
If you have been able to gain a refund from a manufacturer, please share
your knowledge.
http://wiki.fsfe.org/Windows-Tax_Refund
5. Project spotlight: UN & WIPO lobbying
Our work within international treaty processes is some of our most
important, but also some of our least visible. The meetings
themselves are rarely discussed in the media, and most of the work
happens in many private discussions beforehand. You don't get in by
just knocking on the door, and you don't change policy by just
collecting business cards and emailing your suggestions around.
This work is vital because these international agreements trump the
European Parliament and our national governments. If an agreement is
made at the international level, then the European Parliament has to
obey it, and so do our national governments. Another reason for us
doing this work is that we happen to have a President who has a talent
for this, Georg Greve.
Some information about this work is available on our website:
http://fsfeurope.org/projects/igf/igf.en.htmlhttp://fsfeurope.org/projects/wipo/wipo.en.htmlhttp://fsfeurope.org/projects/wsis/wsis.en.html
6. This time in 2007:
This time last year, FSFE was involved in the United Nations Internet
Governance Forum in Rio de Janeiro, delivering training courses
in Nijmegen, and holding FTF events in Linz, Lausanne, Nijmegen and
Düsseldorf - among many other activities.
Amazing progress has been made in the last year. FSFE's influence in
international institutions has grown, and the FTF continues to build
legal infrastructure for Free Software through its training,
documentation and outreach activities. If you'd like to know more about
what was going on in November last year, please see the newsletter
archives:
http://mailman.fsfeurope.org/pipermail/press-release/2007q4/000190.html
7. Upcoming events
An up-to-date list of our upcoming events can be found at:
http://fsfeurope.org/events/events.en.html
When this newsletter was being written, we had the following upcoming list:
2008-12-18: Fellowship Christmas get-together in Gothenburg, Sweden
2008-12-19: Zurich, 'Licensing questions and other legal issues' workshop
2008-12-19: Monthly Fellowship meeting in Vienna, Austria
You can find a list of all FSFE newsletters on
http://www.fsfeurope.org/news/newsletter.en.html
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