Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak

This year's FSFE's Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop has been cancelled. The FSFE thanks our contributors and looks ahead to organizing the event next year.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 currently gripping the world, in early March the FSFE had to make the difficult decision to cancel our upcoming Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop 2020 (the "Workshop"). Originally scheduled to take place from 15 - 17 April in Barcelona, Spain, the Workshop is an annual conference held every year since 2008 for the FSFE's Legal Network, and serves as a meeting point for FOSS legal experts to discuss issues and best practices surrounding Free Software licensing.

Many exciting sessions were scheduled for this year's Workshop, including discussions on the technological relevance of copyleft licenses, on the challenges facing Free Software with machine learning and big data, on ongoing litigation from various jurisdictions on software licensing, as well as many other talks and workshops.

While we are disappointed to have to cancel the Workshop, the FSFE's priority is the health and safety of participants and staff at our events, and public health. As we face this global health crisis together, the FSFE will continue to work to empower individuals to control technology, albeit without any physical gatherings for the time being.

Nevertheless, we are grateful for companies and individuals who have chosen to continue supporting us despite the cancellation of the Workshop. The FSFE truly appreciates their support and generosity. Accordingly, we would like to extend a warm thank you to our following generous financial supporters who have maintained their contributions to us through these difficult times: our Diamond Sponsors Amazon and Red Hat; our Sapphire Sponsor Microsoft; our Topaz Sponsor HP Inc, and our Ruby Sponsors Canonical, Ericsson, and Toyota.

Additionally, we would also like to thank our individual donors Andrew Wilson, Pamela Chestek, and Alberto Pianon for their generous support and contributions for the Workshop.

We are currently looking into remote options that will facilitate the sharing of knowledge within our legal community during this difficult period, including a possible alternative online event. In the meantime, the FSFE also looks ahead to being able to put up another great Workshop again in 2021 and the years to come, under better circumstances.

Support FSFE

Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak

This year's FSFE's Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop has been cancelled. The FSFE thanks our contributors and looks ahead to organizing the event next year.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 currently gripping the world, in early March the FSFE had to make the difficult decision to cancel our upcoming Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop 2020 (the "Workshop"). Originally scheduled to take place from 15 - 17 April in Barcelona, Spain, the Workshop is an annual conference held every year since 2008 for the FSFE's Legal Network, and serves as a meeting point for FOSS legal experts to discuss issues and best practices surrounding Free Software licensing.

Many exciting sessions were scheduled for this year's Workshop, including discussions on the technological relevance of copyleft licenses, on the challenges facing Free Software with machine learning and big data, on ongoing litigation from various jurisdictions on software licensing, as well as many other talks and workshops.

While we are disappointed to have to cancel the Workshop, the FSFE's priority is the health and safety of participants and staff at our events, and public health. As we face this global health crisis together, the FSFE will continue to work to empower individuals to control technology, albeit without any physical gatherings for the time being.

Nevertheless, we are grateful for companies and individuals who have chosen to continue supporting us despite the cancellation of the Workshop. The FSFE truly appreciates their support and generosity. Accordingly, we would like to extend a warm thank you to our following generous financial supporters who have maintained their contributions to us through these difficult times: our Diamond Sponsors Amazon and Red Hat; our Sapphire Sponsor Microsoft; our Topaz Sponsor HP Inc, and our Ruby Sponsors Canonical, Ericsson, and Toyota.

Additionally, we would also like to thank our individual donors Andrew Wilson, Pamela Chestek, and Alberto Pianon for their generous support and contributions for the Workshop.

We are currently looking into remote options that will facilitate the sharing of knowledge within our legal community during this difficult period, including a possible alternative online event. In the meantime, the FSFE also looks ahead to being able to put up another great Workshop again in 2021 and the years to come, under better circumstances.

Support FSFE

Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak

This year's FSFE's Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop has been cancelled. The FSFE thanks our contributors and looks ahead to organizing the event next year.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 currently gripping the world, in early March the FSFE had to make the difficult decision to cancel our upcoming Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop 2020 (the "Workshop"). Originally scheduled to take place from 15 - 17 April in Barcelona, Spain, the Workshop is an annual conference held every year since 2008 for the FSFE's Legal Network, and serves as a meeting point for FOSS legal experts to discuss issues and best practices surrounding Free Software licensing.

Many exciting sessions were scheduled for this year's Workshop, including discussions on the technological relevance of copyleft licenses, on the challenges facing Free Software with machine learning and big data, on ongoing litigation from various jurisdictions on software licensing, as well as many other talks and workshops.

While we are disappointed to have to cancel the Workshop, the FSFE's priority is the health and safety of participants and staff at our events, and public health. As we face this global health crisis together, the FSFE will continue to work to empower individuals to control technology, albeit without any physical gatherings for the time being.

Nevertheless, we are grateful for companies and individuals who have chosen to continue supporting us despite the cancellation of the Workshop. The FSFE truly appreciates their support and generosity. Accordingly, we would like to extend a warm thank you to our following generous financial supporters who have maintained their contributions to us through these difficult times: our Diamond Sponsors Amazon and Red Hat; our Sapphire Sponsor Microsoft; our Topaz Sponsor HP Inc, and our Ruby Sponsors Canonical, Ericsson, and Toyota.

Additionally, we would also like to thank our individual donors Andrew Wilson, Pamela Chestek, and Alberto Pianon for their generous support and contributions for the Workshop.

We are currently looking into remote options that will facilitate the sharing of knowledge within our legal community during this difficult period, including a possible alternative online event. In the meantime, the FSFE also looks ahead to being able to put up another great Workshop again in 2021 and the years to come, under better circumstances.

Support FSFE

Consider donating your conference budget

The biggest financial impact the FSFE faces in these times of physical distancing is the cancellation of Free Software conferences, including our own events. To keep the software freedom movement solid and alive, please consider to donate a part of your conference budget to Free Software organisations, including the FSFE.

Last week we wrote about how the SARS-CoV-2 virus affects the FSFE. Booths and talks have been some of the main channels over which we inform people about software freedom and the FSFE’s work. Losing these due to cancellation of events also means a heavily limited visibility for our topics and our organisation.

For example, last year we participated in over 60 events in 11 European countries. This is more than one per week on average, with every event contributing to spreading our message and growing our community. These events are some of our best opportunities to explain and discuss Free Software issues in personal conversations. This is the same situation with our information material and merchandise: last year, we sent out over 800 information material packages around the world and sold over 1.100 shirts and hoodies. For the last few weeks we are no longer able to participate in events or effectively handle requests for our information materials and merchandise - and it is unclear how long this situation will last.

In the case of our events, like the annual Legal and Licensing Workshop or the “Public Money? Public Code!” conference, it is a direct financial burden we take due to missing sponsorships, non-refundable costs and work that we have already invested.

In a time when humanity needs to work together to find solutions for a crisis, we cannot afford to reinvent the wheel again and again. Global problems need global solutions! It is Free Software that enables global cooperation for code development. We will keep doing our best for software freedom and humanity, even while staying home. We will keep our campaigns running and start new ones, take part in consultations, produce our Software Freedom Podcasts and inform more on our digital channels.

We know these are difficult times for everyone: many others are struggling as well, and some even more seriously. But if you are in the position to do so, please support the future of our movement by donating a part of your conference budget to organisations for software freedom; including the FSFE.

In these difficult times specifically, but also in general, we would like to thank our volunteers who form the foundation of the FSFE with their invaluable contributions, and our supporters and donors who enable our work for Free Software.

Your help is highly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Support FSFE

Consider donating your conference budget

The biggest financial impact the FSFE faces in these times of physical distancing is the cancellation of Free Software conferences, including our own events. To keep the software freedom movement solid and alive, please consider to donate a part of your conference budget to Free Software organisations, including the FSFE.

Last week we wrote about how the SARS-CoV-2 virus affects the FSFE. Booths and talks have been some of the main channels over which we inform people about software freedom and the FSFE’s work. Losing these due to cancellation of events also means a heavily limited visibility for our topics and our organisation.

For example, last year we participated in over 60 events in 11 European countries. This is more than one per week on average, with every event contributing to spreading our message and growing our community. These events are some of our best opportunities to explain and discuss Free Software issues in personal conversations. This is the same situation with our information material and merchandise: last year, we sent out over 800 information material packages around the world and sold over 1.100 shirts and hoodies. For the last few weeks we are no longer able to participate in events or effectively handle requests for our information materials and merchandise - and it is unclear how long this situation will last.

In the case of our events, like the annual Legal and Licensing Workshop or the “Public Money? Public Code!” conference, it is a direct financial burden we take due to missing sponsorships, non-refundable costs and work that we have already invested.

In a time when humanity needs to work together to find solutions for a crisis, we cannot afford to reinvent the wheel again and again. Global problems need global solutions! It is Free Software that enables global cooperation for code development. We will keep doing our best for software freedom and humanity, even while staying home. We will keep our campaigns running and start new ones, take part in consultations, produce our Software Freedom Podcasts and inform more on our digital channels.

We know these are difficult times for everyone: many others are struggling as well, and some even more seriously. But if you are in the position to do so, please support the future of our movement by donating a part of your conference budget to organisations for software freedom; including the FSFE.

In these difficult times specifically, but also in general, we would like to thank our volunteers who form the foundation of the FSFE with their invaluable contributions, and our supporters and donors who enable our work for Free Software.

Your help is highly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Support FSFE