*Please consider adding <[email protected]> to your address book, which will
ensure that our messages reach you and not your spam box.*

*Read and share online: <[link removed]>*


Dear Free Software
Supporter,

*The Free Software Foundation’s (FSF) [licensing and compliance
team][0] is the guardian of the GNU General Public License ([GPL][1]),
which has brought software freedom to the world for over three
decades. As stewards of the GPL and the rest of the GNU family of
licenses, we must continue our work to protect and extend computer
user freedom, but we need your help.*

[0]:[link removed]
[1]:[link removed]


*We launched our [annual fundraiser][2] with the
goal of welcoming 600 new associate members before December 31st. New
members are critical to the cause, and by becoming a member you will
stand in solidarity with others who care about computer user
freedom. As is the case with any social movement, the numbers matter,
and it is a very powerful gesture to make for only $10 a month ($5 if
you are a student). Please support the work that gives hope for a
future with software freedom: [make a donation][4] or -- better yet --
[join us and become a member today][3].*

[2]:[link removed]
[3]:[link removed]
[4]:[link removed]


The Free Software Foundation is a global leader for copyleft, and the
licensing team plays a vital role in disseminating useful knowledge
about free software while working to protect it. We accomplish this in
part by answering licensing questions from the public and by providing
resources like our [list of free software licenses][7]. We also
increase access to software freedom by managing the [Respects Your
Freedom][8] certification program, and cataloging free software
through our [endorsed distributions][9] program and the [Free Software
Directory][10]. To protect free software, we handle license compliance
for the [GNU Project][11], resulting in a stronger community and more
respect for the power of copyleft.

[7]:[link removed]
[8]:[link removed]
[9]:[link removed]
[10]:[link removed]
[11]:[link removed]

We are proud to accomplish this as just two staff working with our
executive director, board, and legal counsel. These resources combined
make a potent force for software freedom, and your support will ensure
our work continues with the aim to do an even better job in 2020. Let
us share a bit about the work we did in 2019 and elaborate on why it
is so vital that this work continues.

# Helping users, developers, and distributors to understand licensing

The FSF, as a recognized authority on free software licensing, along
with our [team of three volunteers][12], answered almost 600 licensing
questions from all over the world in 2019. [The questions][13]
can range from the very simple (“Can I sell free software?” Yes, you
can!) to the much more complex nuances of free software
licensing. Some people write to us trying to understand both
established GNU licenses and licenses created by other organizations.

[12]:[link removed]
[13]:[link removed]

The software licensing landscape is constantly changing, as some
projects choose to draft new licenses. We periodically provide
[updates to our licensing materials][14] to help keep everyone
informed and connected to best practices. Even for licenses on which
we’ve publicly commented, there can still be questions about what they
mean, or how they can interact with one another. In addition to
fielding questions directly, we provide resources like our [GPL
FAQ][15], with over 170 entries on the GPL and other important free
software topics. We also maintain our [list of software licenses][16],
with our determinations as to whether each license is free or nonfree.

[14]:[link removed]
[15]:[link removed]
[16]:[link removed]

# Software licensing seminars

In October, we hosted a [Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
seminar][17] on GPL enforcement and legal ethics, and we plan to do
another one in 2020. The subject matter is geared towards lawyers,
law professionals and students, but is open to and attended by non-law
professionals as well. The 2019 edition of our seminar covered the
basics of the GPL, court cases that shaped the free software licensing
world, ethical considerations important to lawyers working with
clients involved in free software, trademarks, and the current spate
of license proliferation. These seminars are great for anyone seeking
discussion and information about software licensing, and for those
attorneys who are seeking CLE credits. The lectures are given by
experts and leaders in the field, people at the forefront
of advancing copyleft licensing. In 2020, we plan to host yet another
CLE, and with your help, we will keep expanding these seminars and
increase their frequency in the years to come.

[17]:[link removed]

# Identifying and supporting fully free GNU/Linux distributions

Through our [list of free GNU/Linux distributions][18], users can find
a complete operating system that [contains and recommends only free
software][19]. We work with maintainers, we help them remove nonfree
software, and we point out other potential issues with the
distribution. During last year's fundraiser we were excited to
announce the latest addition to the list, [Hyperbola
GNU/Linux-Libre][20]. Although we saw the retirement of [Musix][21] in
2019, the list still includes a fair number of choices, with nine
standard distros and two small GNU/Linux distros meant for limited
devices, but clearly we want to keep providing more options for users
when it comes to fully free distributions. Your help will allow us to
do just that as we strive for a world where GNU/Linux distributions
fully guarantee user freedom, rather than risking becoming platforms
using free components just to more efficiently deliver proprietary
applications or forcing users into [Service as a Software
Substitute][22].

[18]:[link removed]
[19]:[link removed]
[20]:[link removed]
[21]:[link removed]
[22]:[link removed]

# Helping users find freedom-respecting devices

Being able to purchase hardware that only comes with free software
takes effort, which is where our [Respects Your Freedom][23]
certification program comes in. As the only organization doing this
unique type of certification, we certified eighteen devices in 2019,
with fourteen from [ThinkPenguin][24], two from [Vikings GmbH][25],
and two from [Raptor Computing Systems][26].

[23]:[link removed]
[24]:[link removed]
[25]:[link removed]
[26]:[link removed]

In a world rife with digital products that disrespect the user, this
program is critical. We're seeing an increasing number of people
demanding more freedom when it comes to their devices. For this
reason, we gave our RYF Web page a [major overhaul][27], transforming
it from a single chronological listing of certifications to a
standalone site. Not only does it have a sleek modern look and mobile
device compatibility, but it is also a robust database for browsing by
product type and by vendor. This functionality not only makes products
easier to find, but its design will also handle the expected growth in
the number of certified devices.

[27]:[link removed]

Picture it: a world where people can go into a store or online and
easily buy products, without being expert technologists or licensing
gurus, that purvey respect along with their technical usefulness! We
see this future over the horizon, and with your help, we can exceed
our expectations to process (and hopefully approve) more devices for
certification in 2020 and beyond.

# Helping everyone ethically share free software

When all of our educational resources aren't enough, and someone fails
to provide the rights guaranteed under a free license like the GPL,
the licensing team takes special care to teach them how to better
their ways and find a place in the community. Where necessary, we
uphold free software by enforcing the license according to [the
Principles of Community-Oriented GPL Enforcement][28], which we
co-developed with the [Software Freedom Conservancy][29]. Our goal is
to educate and guide these distributors into compliance, but we stand
firm in our belief that legal action is sometimes necessary to protect
user rights.

[28]:[link removed]
[29]:[link removed]

# Helping users find free software

The licensing team maintains the [Free Software Directory][30], a
massive listing of over 16,000 freely-licensed packages, which had
over 800,000 unique visits in 2019. This is a resource for users to
find free software. It also helps maintainers of free software
packages discover potential licensing issues with their code, and
because it provides exportable data sets, the Directory's usefulness
expands to academic researchers as well. You are welcome to join us
and other volunteers every Friday via IRC (freenode, #fsf @
12:00-15:00 EST) to review free software packages for inclusion in the
Directory. If there's an issue, we file a bug with the project about
the licensing problem. The Directory is a wiki that anyone can edit,
and we always welcome more volunteers to [participate][31]. In 2019,
we brought in quite a few new volunteers, who took on projects to more
systematically update and curate entries, and even to improve the
functioning of the Directory itself. But while 16,000 free software
packages may seem like a lot, there is an entire world of free
software beyond the Directory that still needs the sort of licensing
review that we provide as part of the process of adding a package to
the Directory.

[30]:[link removed]
[31]:[link removed]

# Help us advocate for copyleft!

Besides answering emails and publishing articles, the licensing team
also gives talks at conferences and staffs FSF booths at conferences
such as [CopyleftConf][32], [LinuxFest Northwest][33], and
[FOSDEM][34]. We are getting the word out about software freedom! But
to continue this work, and do even more in the year to come, we need
your support. We hope you'll take this opportunity to help us in this
mission in the year ahead.

[32]:[link removed]
[33]:[link removed]
[34]:[link removed]

Sincerely,

Craig Topham
Licensing and Compliance Associate

--
* Follow us on GNU social at <[link removed]>, on Diaspora at <[link removed]>, and on Twitter at <[link removed]>.
* Read about why we use Twitter, but only with caveats at <[link removed]>.
* Subscribe to our RSS feeds at <[link removed]>.
* Join us as an associate member at <[link removed]>.
* Read our Privacy Policy at <[link removed]>.

Sent from the Free Software Foundation,

51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335
United States


You can unsubscribe from this mailing list by visiting

[link removed].

To stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design,
and the Free Software Supporter newsletter, visit

[link removed].