FSF Licensing & Compliance Team — Free Software Foundation

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</span> </span> <span id="breadcrumbs-1" dir="ltr"> <span id="breadcrumbs-current">Licensing</span> </span> </div></div> <div class=""> <dl class="portalMessage info" id="kssPortalMessage" style="display:none"> <dt>Info</dt> <dd></dd> </dl> <article> <div id="content"> <div id="viewlet-above-content-title"></div> <h1 id="parent-fieldname-title" class="documentFirstHeading"> FSF Licensing & Compliance Team </h1> <div id="viewlet-below-content-title"><div class="documentByLine" id="plone-document-byline"> <span class="documentAuthor"> by <a href="https://www.fsf.org/author/fsfweb">Free Software Foundation</a> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/contribs/fsfweb" class="netscape4"> Contributions </a> </span> <span class="documentModified"> — <span> Published on </span> Feb 10, 2005 04:06 PM </span> </div></div> <div id="parent-fieldname-description" class="documentDescription"> For over 20 years the FSF Licensing & Compliance Team has been the preeminent resource of free licensing for free software developers. </div> <div id="viewlet-above-content-body"> </div> <div id="content-core"> <div class="" id="parent-fieldname-text-5a4649c8df6c2815f0b872df8a6f90fa"> <p><em>Read this page in <a href="/es/licenciamiento-fsf-equipo-de-cumplimiento">Spanish</a>.</em></p> <h2>Education & Support</h2> <p>We have a number of online resources as well as community-based and paid support.</p> <p><strong>See our licensing recommendations, analysis, and FAQ</strong>:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-recommendations.html">Guide to choosing a license for your own work</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html">Comprehensive FAQ about the GNU Licenses</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html">List of other licenses and whether they are free, copyleft, or compatible with the GPL</a>.</li> <li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/quick-guide-gplv3">A Quick Guide to GPLv3</a></li> <li>Join us at one of our regular <a href="/licensing/seminars/">seminars on free software licensing & GPL compliance</a>, or view educational resources from past events.</li> <li>Check out the <a href="/events/">FSF events page</a> to know when members of the compliance team are speaking at other conferences or events.</li> </ul> <p class="pullquote visualNoPrint"> I must say that the <em>vast</em> majority of my questions have been answered by the thorough FAQs included around the FSF Web site. I needed them, for example, when I helped someone correctly GPL their software in under 10 minutes in time for a competition deadline! Thank you for all the resources you already provide. </p> <p>Keep up to date with the latest licensing issues by visiting our <a href="/blogs/licensing/">Licensing and Compliance blog</a>, or subscribe to the <a href="/static/fsforg/rss/licensing.xml" title="Subscribe to an RSS feed of FSF news">Licensing and Compliance Blog RSS feed</a> <a href="/static/fsforg/rss/licensing.xml" title="Subscribe to the licensing and compliance RSS feed of FSF news"><img alt="RSS feed" src="/static/fsforg/css/img/rss.gif" /></a>.</p> <p>You can also <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/mailing/subscribe?reset=1&gid=1524">subscribe to a mailing list which only announces updates related to FSF licensing materials</a>.</p> <p>Have a question that you couldn’t find the answer to? For general free software licensing questions please email <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">licensing@fsf.org</a>. And of course, we would love any feedback you can provide -- good or bad! Our team of <a href="/licensing/team">licensing volunteers</a> are committed to answering questions and providing quality educational resources to the free software community. If your question is about developing proprietary software, then receiving an answer is contingent on payment of a fee.</p> <h2>Copyright & Compliance</h2> <ul> <li>The Free Software Foundation holds the copyright to many GNU packages, such as GCC and GNU Emacs. When hackers contribute to these projects, we ask that they assign their copyright to enable us to enforce the license. Visit our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/contributor-faq">Contributor's FAQ guide</a> to learn more about the process and read our article on <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/FSF-copyright-handling">FSF Copyright Handling</a> to better understand why we take this approach. For any questions about assigning to the FSF, please contact us at <a href="mailto:assign@gnu.org">assign@gnu.org</a>.</li> <li>Free software is everywhere these days, inside our computers, phones, and even televisions. With so much free software being distributed every day, we have to remain vigilant against potential violations. You can help to make sure that free software is always free by <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.html">reporting violations to our compliance team</a>. </li> <li>The FSF can only enforce the license on works to which we hold the copyright, but we can still help bring about compliance even when the copyright lies elsewhere. If you need help with enforcement, please don’t hesitate to contact us at <a href="mailto:license-violation@gnu.org">license-violation@gnu.org</a>.</li> <li>Many copyright holders seek monetary damages when their license is violated. We do not — <a href="/licensing/compliance">we only want violators to come back into compliance</a>, and help repair any harm done to the free software community by their past actions. Because of that, we contact violators directly, and negotiate a strategy with them that best accomplishes those goals. We follow <a href="/licensing/enforcement-principles">the Principles of Community-Oriented GPL Enforcement</a> in all our compliance matters.</li> </ul> <div style="clear: right; float: right; text-align: center; font-style: normal; width: 20em; max-width: 90%; padding: 0px; margin: 0.3em 1em 1em; border: 0.3em solid rgb(52, 101, 164);"><strong>Become an FSF Corporate Patron</strong><br /><p>One of the benefits of becoming a <a href="/patrons/benefits">Corporate Patron of the FSF</a> is that you receive two complimentary hours of licensing and/or GPL consultation from the FSF's Compliance Team (with a reduced rate for further consultation).<br /> To sign up as a patron, please write to <a href="mailto:patron@fsf.org">patron@fsf.org</a>.</div> <h2>Verification & Certification</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">Fully free GNU/Linux Distributions</a>. These distributions meet our guidelines for a fully free distro, and are fully committed to keeping their distributions free.</li> <li>You can help keep those distributions free and earn a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/gnu-bucks.html">GNU Buck</a> by filing a bug regarding a licensing issue in one of our endorsed distributions and sending an email to <a href="mailto:report-nonfree@fsf.org">report-nonfree@fsf.org</a>.</li> <li>The <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> is our community curated listing of over 17,000 free software packages. A great resource for finding and promoting software that respects its users.</li> <li>The <a href="/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">"Respects Your Freedom" (RYF)</a> certification program encourages the creation and sale of hardware that will do as much as possible to respect your freedom and your privacy, and will ensure that you have control over your device. <br /> </li> <li>Looking to buy hardware that works well with free software? Check out <a href="https://h-node.org/">h-node</a>, a community run project to catalog how well different pieces of hardware work with fully free software.</li> </ul> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" property="stylesheet" href="//static.fsf.org/nosvn/plone3/css/hide-date.css"> </div> </div> <div id="viewlet-below-content-body"><div class="visualClear"></div> <div class="documentActions"> <h5 class="hiddenStructure">Document Actions</h5> <ul> <li><b><a href="/share?u=https://www.fsf.org/licensing/&t=FSF Licensing & Compliance Team">Share on social networks</a></b></li> <li>Syndicate:</li> <li><a href="/static/fsforg/rss/news.xml">News</a></li> <li><a href="/static/fsforg/rss/events.xml">Events</a></li> <li><a href="/static/fsforg/rss/blogs.xml">Blogs</a></li> <li><a href="/static/fsforg/rss/jobs.xml">Jobs</a></li> <li id="document-action-copy_of_full_screen"> <a href="http://www.gnu.org/rss/whatsnew.rss" title="">GNU</a> </li> <li id="document-action-print"> <a href="" title=""></a> </li> </ul> </div></div> </div> </article> </div> <div id="viewlet-below-content"> </div> </div> </div></div></div> <div id="fsf-sidebar" class="yui-b visualNoPrint"> <aside> <span style="display: none;">1PC9aZC4hNX2rmmrt7uHTfYAS3hRbph4UN</span> <div id="search"> <form id="sidesearch" name="searchform" action="/search"> <p><input name="SearchableText" tabindex="1" type="text" size="30" title="Search Site" /></p> <p><input class="searchButton" type="submit" value="Search" /></p> </form> </div> <div class="visualPadding"> <div class="portletWrapper" data-portlethash="706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673662f6c6963656e73696e670a74616b652d616374696f6e" id="portletwrapper-706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673662f6c6963656e73696e670a74616b652d616374696f6e"> <dl class="portlet portletStaticText portlet-static-nominate-someone-for-a-free-software-award"> <dt class="portletHeader"> <span class="portletTopLeft"></span> <span> Nominate someone for a Free Software Award! </span> <span class="portletTopRight"></span> </dt> <dd class="portletItem odd"> <div style="width:220px; margin: 0px auto; text-align:center; color: black;"><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/2025-awards-nominations-open"> <img src="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/free-software-award-s.png" alt="Red award ribbon with text in the middle reading Free Software Award." style="float: center; width: 180px; padding-bottom: 15px;" /></a> <p>Please take a little time to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/2025-awards-nominations-open">show your appreciation</a> for a particular member or project's commitment to software freedom in your area.</p> <span class="portletBottomLeft"></span> <span class="portletBottomRight"></span> </dd> </dl> </div> <div class="portletWrapper" data-portlethash="706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a737570706f72746572" id="portletwrapper-706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a737570706f72746572"><div class="portletStaticText portlet-static-supporter"><div style="text-align: center;"> <h5>Sign up</h5> <form action="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=31" method="post"> <p>Enter your email address to receive our monthly newsletter, the<br /><a href="https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/">Free Software Supporter</a></p> <p><input id="frmEmail" type="text" name="email-Primary" size="18" maxlength="80"></p> <p><input type="submit" name="_qf_Edit_next" value="Subscribe me"></p> <div><input name="postURL" type="hidden" value=""> <input type="hidden" name="group[25]" value="1"> <input name="cancelURL" type="hidden" value="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile?reset=1&gid=31"> <input name="_qf_default" type="hidden" value="Edit:cancel"> </div> </form></div></div> </div> <div class="portletWrapper" data-portlethash="706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a6673662d6e6577732d727373" id="portletwrapper-706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a6673662d6e6577732d727373"><div class="portletStaticText portlet-static-fsf-news-rss"><p style="float: right;"><a href="/static/fsforg/rss/news.xml" title="Subscribe to an RSS feed of FSF news"><img src="/static/fsforg/css/img/rss.gif" alt="RSS feed" /></a></p></div> </div> <div class="portletWrapper" data-portlethash="706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a6e657773" id="portletwrapper-706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a6e657773"><dl class="portlet portletNews" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <dt class="portletHeader"> <span class="portletTopLeft"></span> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news" class="tile">News</a> <span class="portletTopRight"></span> </dt> <dd class="portletItem odd"> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-40-auction" class="tile" title="BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA (February 4, 2025) -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) turns forty this year. "> <img width="16" height="16" src="https://www.fsf.org/static/fsforg/css/img/newsitem_icon.gif" alt="News Item" /> Free Software Foundation to auction off original GNU drawings, awards, and historic tech <span class="portletItemDetails">Feb 04, 2025</span> </a> </dd> <dd class="portletItem even"> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/anchoring-the-fsf-in-its-values" class="tile" title=""> <img width="16" height="16" src="https://www.fsf.org/static/fsforg/css/img/newsitem_icon.gif" alt="News Item" /> Anchoring the FSF in its values <span class="portletItemDetails">Jan 10, 2025</span> </a> </dd> <dd class="portletItem odd"> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-is-working-on-freedom-in-machine-learning-applications" class="tile" title="BOSTON (October 22, 2024) -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has announced today that it is working on a statement of criteria for free machine learning applications, which will require the software, as well as the raw training data and associated scripts, to grant users the four freedoms."> <img width="16" height="16" src="https://www.fsf.org/static/fsforg/css/img/newsitem_icon.gif" alt="News Item" /> FSF is working on freedom in machine learning applications <span class="portletItemDetails">Oct 22, 2024</span> </a> </dd> <dd class="portletFooter"> <span class="portletBottomLeft"></span> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news"> More news… </a> <span class="portletBottomRight"></span> </dd> </dl></div> <div class="portletWrapper" data-portlethash="706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a6673662d626c6f67732d727373" id="portletwrapper-706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a6673662d626c6f67732d727373"><div class="portletStaticText portlet-static-fsf-blogs-rss"><p style="float: right;"><a href="/static/fsforg/rss/blogs.xml" title="Subscribe to an RSS feed of FSF blogs"><img src="/static/fsforg/css/img/rss.gif" alt="RSS feed" /></a></p></div> </div> <div class="portletWrapper" data-portlethash="706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a726563656e742d626c6f6773" id="portletwrapper-706c6f6e652e7269676874636f6c756d6e0a636f6e746578740a2f6673660a726563656e742d626c6f6773"><dl class="portlet portletCollection portlet-collection-recent-blogs"> <dt class="portletHeader"> <span class="portletTopLeft"></span> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/recent-blog-posts"> <span>Recent blogs</span> </a> <span class="portletTopRight"></span> </dt> <dd class="portletItem odd"> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/fsd-meeting-recap-2025-02-21" class="tile contenttype-blog-entry" title="Check out the important work our volunteers accomplished at today's Free Software Directory (FSD) IRC meeting."> FSD meeting recap 2025-02-21 </a> </dd> <dd class="portletItem even"> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/interview-with-melanie-punz" class="tile contenttype-blog-entry" title=""> Working together for free software: Our interview with Melanie Punz </a> </dd> <dd class="portletItem odd"> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/fsf-at-fosdem-2025" class="tile contenttype-blog-entry" title="Four FSF staff members had a great time sharing their knowledge and learning at FOSDEM 2025 in Brussels. 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