Free Software Foundation Europe

Free Software Foundation Europe
Abbreviation FSFE
Motto Free Software, Free Society
Formation March 10, 2001
Type Charitable organization
Headquarters Hamburg, Germany[1]
Region served
 Europe
President
 Matthias Kirschner
Vice-President
 Alessandro Rubini
Executive Director
 Jonas Öberg
Founding-President
 Georg Greve
Main organ
 Core Team
Affiliations FSF* network
Budget
 ca. €370,000
Website fsfe.org
Formerly called
 FSF Europe

The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) was founded in 2001 to support all aspects of the free software movement in Europe. FSFE is a charitable registered association (eingetragener Verein) under German law, and has registered 'chapters' in several European countries.[2] It is as an official European sister organization of the U.S.-based Free Software Foundation (FSF). FSF and FSFE are financially and legally separate entities.

FSFE believes that access to and control of software determines who may participate in a digital society. Therefore, the freedoms to use, copy, modify and redistribute software, as described in The Free Software Definition, are necessary for equal participation in the Information Age.[3]

Goals

The focus of FSFE's work is political, legal, and social with the aim of promoting Free Software and the ethical, philosophical, social, political and commercial values that it implements.[4] In particular, it

Example projects

FSFE representatives at the OpenRheinRuhr, Bottrop (Germany)
Software patents in Europe
According to the FSFE, software patents for Europe are currently being pushed forward actively by a lobby gathering around the European patent office and the Business Software Alliance (BSA), which represents the interests of the largest U.S. companies. Software patents are considered by the FSFE to be a menace to society and economy and FSF Europe is actively involved in the resistance to such plans.[5]
European Union v. Microsoft
In 2001 the European Union, through the DG Competition of the European Commission (led by Prof. Mario Monti), started investigating Microsoft's dominant position in the desktop operating systems. The Free Software Foundation Europe was invited by the EC to represent the stance of the Free Software movement. In 2004 FSFE was admitted as an intervening third party in the appeal against the Decision of the Commission and, also representing the Samba Team, was one of the only two interveners to remain active in the proceedings from start to end. It provided strong evidence in court thanks to the effort volunteers like Andrew Tridgell, Jeremy Allison, Volker Lendeke and their lawyer, Carlo Piana. The case is now considered one of the leading cases in European antitrust.[6]
World Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations system of organisations. Its role is to administer 24 international treaties dealing with different aspects of limited monopolies on knowledge. As an observer to WIPO and together with a global coalition of other players with similar goals, FSFE is working towards reshaping it as a "World Intellectual Wealth Organisation."[7]
FSFE Legal Team (previously known as the Freedom Task Force)
The legal branch of FSFE that helps individuals, projects, businesses and government agencies find Free Software legal information, experts and support. FSFE Legal provides compliance, best practice, procurement and governance resources in-house, in partnership with FSFE’s associate organisations and through its extensive network of contacts (including the Legal Network). Its mission is to spread knowledge, solve problems and encourage the long-term growth of Free Software.[8]

Each month, FSFE publishes a newsletter, in multiple languages (including English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish), of their activities that can be mentioned in public.[9]

Structure

From FSFE's published "Self-Conception": "The people of the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), see ourselves as Europeans from different cultures with the shared goal of co-operation across cultures and of developing a common culture of co-operation from a regional to a global level. We form a non-profit non-governmental organisation and network that itself is part of a global network of people with common goals and visions. We are not representative for anyone but ourselves and our work. Our common work and dedication to freedom in all aspects of digital society is what defines us."[10]

Internally, the FSFE has a consensus-oriented, team structure in which participation is determined by each persons willingness to participate and do work. A democratic and representative-democratic model functions as a fallback for when the consensus-based approach either reaps no results or a quick decision is needed.

Legal structure

The FSFE has a modular legal structure with a central "Hub" organisation and the possibility of local legal bodies, called "Chapters". The Hub is a charitable association ("e.V.") which is, by happenstance, registered in Germany.

As well as being in regular contact with the other FSFs (FSF, FSFI, FSFLA), FSFE has a structure of organisations which are official associates.[11] These are mostly national-level free software groups.

Awards

In 2010 FSFE received the Theodor Heuss Medal in recognition of its work for freedom in the information society. The medal is awarded once a year in Stuttgart by a non-partisan foundation named after West Germany's first president.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Imprint". fsfe.org. Free Software Foundation Europe e.V. (FSFE). Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "FSFE's legal structure". Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  3. ↑ "FSFE's commitment to software freedom". Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  4. ↑ "About Free Software Foundation Europe". Fsfe.org. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  5. ↑ "FSFE - Software Patents in Europe". Fsfeurope.org. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  6. ↑ "FSFE and the antitrust case against Microsoft". Fsfeurope.org. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  7. ↑ "FSFE - Observing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)". Fsfeurope.org. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  8. ↑ "FSFE Legal - The Freedom Task Force". fsfe.org. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  9. ↑ "FSFE Newsletter".
  10. ↑ "FSFE's Self-Conception".
  11. ↑ "Associate Organisations - FSFE". Fsfeurope.org. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  12. ↑ "Free Software Foundation Europe receives Theodor Heuss Medal".

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