Software Freedom Conservancy is a nonprofit organization centered around ethical technology. Our mission is to ensure the right to repair, improve and reinstall software. We promote and defend these rights through fostering free and open source software (FOSS) projects, driving initiatives that actively make technology more inclusive, and advancing policy strategies that defend FOSS (such as copyleft). Learn more.
Use The Source!
SFC recently launched a new software right to repair tool, which lets you submit and comment on source candidates that device manufacturers are required to give you. With your help, we can find and improve the source candidates for your devices, so you can fix, modify, and improve your devices as their software authors intended! Check it out!
News
Success in the DMCA triennial
October 31, 2024
Director of Compliance, Denver Gingerich, speaking before the Library of Congress
Software Freedom Conservancy is proud to announce its successful work in the latest triennial DMCA exemption process to stand up for the rights of FOSS developers. This week, the Copyright Office granted all of the exemptions we requested, according to the final rule Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies. Due to these rulings, the LoC renewed the DMCA exemptions SFC established for the jailbreaking of routers and smart TVs, and for investigating copyleft compliance. Our executive director, Karen Sandler, also successfully participated in a coalition of medical device researchers in a request to renew the exemption for medical devices. SFC's Director of Compliance, Denver Gingerich, also participated and gave testimony during the hearings (for Computer Programs—Repair, led by iFixit and discussed below) when the LoC was looking for expert opinion.
In their rule making, the Librarian of Congress fully summarized our submission regarding license investigations, concluding that we "demonstrated personal knowledge and experience regarding the exemption."
Save the date for FOSSY 2025!
October 17, 2024
FOSSY 2024 CFP announcement
May 23, 2024
Articles
Open Source AI Definition Erodes the Meaning of “Open Source”
by on October 31, 2024
Excitement for GPL enforcement at Linux Plumbers
by on October 3, 2024
Featured Term
amicus curiae
“Amicus curiae” literally means “friend of the court” and is what you call someone who isn’t a party to the case but,because of their strong interest or expertise in the subject matter of the case, has information or argument that the court would find useful in reaching a decision.
