= REUSE Booster helps Free Software projects with licensing and copyright =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210609-01.en.html ]
REUSE is a set of best practices to make Free Software licensing much easier. It helps developers with simple guidelines to declare their copyright and conditions for code re-use and provides help documents and low-threshold tools to get the job done. With REUSE Booster, we start to give direct support for Free Software projects.
Since its beginning, the aim of REUSE [1], an initiative led by the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), has been to make licensing and copyright drastically easier for developers, especially those without legal experience and assistance. It is fair to say that this goal has already been achieved.
REUSE offers standardised ways to mark all files in a project with their respective license and copyright. For developers, creating Free Software and communicating their conditions for code re-use are easier than ever before. REUSE offers a tutorial and FAQ, as well as the REUSE helper tool and the API to automate once manual processes. We are continuously working on improving all of these. But we won't stop here.
== Introducing REUSE Booster ==
With REUSE Booster, we go one step further. We invite Free Software projects to register for getting help [2] by the FSFE's legal experts. As the name suggests, this will boost the process of adopting the best practices as well as general understanding of licensing and copyright.
Accepted projects will be onboarded in a kick-off workshop in which the process and typical questions are clarified. Afterwards, each project will receive an individual evaluation that reveals potential challenges on their path to full REUSE compliance. If unforeseen problems arise, there will be direct contact persons that can provide guidance. Last but not least we will share practical suggestions on how to maintain a stable licensing status.
The FSFE already provides similar support for all projects in the Next Generation Internet Zero (NGI0) project [3]. As consortium partners, we help developers to resolve licensing and copyright uncertainties and avoid legal pitfalls. Furthermore, many of them adopt the REUSE best practices to streamline their compliance. We now build on this practical experience and enable other projects to benefit from it. This is made possible by REUSE sponsors [4] like Siemens and individual support by FSFE volunteers and supporters [5].
If your Free Software project wants to get support to become REUSE compliant, register [6] before 8 July 2021. Please also spread the word and inform other developers about this opportunity.
Discuss this [7]
1: https://reuse.software 2: https://reuse.software/booster 3: https://fsfe.org/activities/ngi/index.en.html 4: https://reuse.software/supporters/ 5: https://my.fsfe.org/support 6: https://reuse.software/booster 7: https://community.fsfe.org/t/698
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to control technology. Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives; and it is important that this technology empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption, encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.