= FSFE Welcomes New 'Software Interactions' Document From The European Legal Network =
[Permanent URL: http://www.fsfe.org/news/2010/news-20100719-01.en.html]
FSFE is proud to welcome the release of a new educational document on Free Software licensing. Developed by delegates of the European Legal Network, the document helps software developers and lawyers by making it easier to decide under which licenses they can distribute their work.
'Software Interactions' explains in detail when a program that contains source code under the GNU General Public License or other Free Software licenses needs to be distributed under the same license, and when developers can select another license. It includes examples of potential legal or community red lines in the field.
Karsten Gerloff, FSFE's President, says: "While no document can provide definitive answers for such a complex subject, today's release is a unique collaborative effort shaped over more than a year of debate by numerous experts. It represents the first time that linking has been discussed so broadly."
FSFE is taking the opportunity of this release to establish a long-term home for network educational documents on the FSFE Fellowship blog. This page will expand to include all of the current and future documents released by the network, and is intended to provide a simple way for people to locate and share this material. The document is available at: https://wiki.fsfe.org/EuropeanLegalNetwork
'Software Interactions' is the second collaborative legal knowledge released by the European Legal Network. The first was the Risk Grid, published in July 2009 in the 'International Free and Open Source Software Law Review.'
FSFE has facilitated the European Legal Network since 2007. From humble beginnings the network has now grown to contain over 240 members from 27 countries and 4 continents, and is the largest professional legal forum for Free Software in the world. While FSFE does not have editorial control over network discussions and educational documents, we believe it provides great value to the broader Free Software community by ensuring legal experts from commercial, non-commercial and independent entities can share experience and insight.
If you are a legal expert and would like to contribute to future network activities, please contact FSFE at legal@fsfeurope.org.
== 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.