A guide to reporting and fixing license violations

FTF and gpl-violations release a guide to reporting and fixing licence
violations

2008-12-08, Zürich, Graeme West, FSFE

FSFE's Freedom Task Force (FTF) and GPL-Violations.org today released a
guide to reporting and fixing licence compliance issues.

This guide will help users and developers to deal with license violation
reports. It explains how to make a report, what information is useful to
include, and offers suggestions for how projects or businesses can deal
with reports once they are received.

The guide is released as part of the strategic partnership between the
FTF and GPL-Violations.org, who work together to improve licensing
awareness and compliance in Europe.  It is located on the new FTF
website, http://www.fsfeurope.org/ftf, along with information on how
projects and businesses can get help with understanding Free Software
licences.  Translations into several European languages will be made
available during coming weeks from the FTF website.

"The best way to solve compliance issues is to prevent them happening in
the first place", says Shane Coughlan, FTF Coordinator. "We work to
support this by educating the community at large. When problems do
occur, we want people to be able to share information and resolve them
effectively."


About the Freedom Task Force:

   The Freedom Task Force is a project 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.</p>

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 gpl-violations.org:

   In the past 40 months, gpl-violations.org has helped uncover and
   negotiate more than 100 GPL violations and has obtained numerous
   out-of-court settlement agreements. The gpl-violations.org project
   is a not-for-profit effort to bring commercial users and vendors of
   Free Software into compliance with the licence conditions as set
   forth by the original authors.  The project was founded and is
   managed by Mr. Harald Welte, a Linux Kernel developer and Free
   Software enthusiast.

   For more information on the project, its mission, milestones and
   goals, please see http://gpl-violations.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.

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



_______________________________________________
Press-release mailing list
Press-release@fsfeurope.org
https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/press-release