Have you ever wondered who actually pays for open source? Not just developers, but the whole ecosystem around major open source projects, either at a FOSS Foundation, independent projects, or an open core project at a company? This is a completely updated version of my talk with sponsorship models, sustainability notes, and top line finance numbers for dozens of foundations.
Most major software projects we all rely on are hosted at Foundations like Apache, Eclipse, Linux, or Software Freedom Conservancy. Those foundations provide a wide variety of support to project communities, including legal and licensing assistance, trademark management, event support, and more. As non-profits, these foundations rely on donors and sponsors for all of their work. So who pays for all of this critical support for open source foundations?
Come find out what companies are behind the popular open source foundations and major independent projects, and who’s actually paying for all of the other support work that’s done to keep the servers running, press releases coming, and license compliance work. Surprises are guaranteed; I know I was surprised when I realized how many different FOSS projects that Microsoft is an annual sponsor for, and what projects a few other companies supported with their cash.
Foundation funding is just one small part of the issues around FOSS Sustainability.
Understanding how Foundations get and use their funding.
]]>The Apache Way is useful for organizations and individuals to be more effective at working in distributed communities. Open source software does not necessarily mean open development - and true community-led open development is where the fun starts in working in FOSS!
There are a lot more aspects to consider and areas to invest in as you move forward through the open source journey. These are just the starting points to work on.
A key reminder: open source works best when you’re working with softare that you actually use. Taking the time to choose which teams or projects that you open up or participate is well worth the investment to keep your team’s efforts focused.
A key addition this year is a section on Charity - fundamental to the ASF’s non-profit mission, plus a pragmatic part of our method in ensuring maximum inbound contributions.
The behaviors you can use to succeed at Apache.
]]>Have you ever wondered who actually pays for open source? Not just developers, but the whole ecosystem around major open source projects, either at a FOSS Foundation, independent projects, or an open core project at a company?
Most major software projects we all rely on are hosted at Foundations like Apache, Eclipse, Linux, or Software Freedom Conservancy. Those foundations provide a wide variety of support to project communities, including legal and licensing assistance, trademark management, event support, and more. As non-profits, these foundations rely on donors and sponsors for all of their work. So who pays for all of this critical support for open source foundations?
Come find out what companies are behind the popular open source foundations and major independent projects, and who’s actually paying for all of the other support work that’s done to keep the servers running, press releases coming, and license compliance work. Surprises are guaranteed; I know I was surprised when I realized how many different FOSS projects that Microsoft is an annual sponsor for, and what projects a few other companies supported with their cash.
Foundation funding is just one small part of the issues around FOSS Sustainability.
Understanding how Foundations get and use their funding.
]]>Are you trying to build the brand of your community-led project? Is your community struggling to keep vendor marketing teams out of your project’s governance? Do you need a lawyer before you can “trademark” something, or can you do it yourself? (Tip: you can do it yourself!)
This AMA is here to help answer basic trademark law questions in practical, everyday terms for FOSS projects and the companies that contribute to them. Legal advice can only come from your own lawyer - but most community questions have practical answers that can get you started without a lawyer. Trademarks are all about the public’s association of a brand with a product - and most of that happens in the real world, not a lawyer’s office.
Bring your simple community questions about how trademarks work, and we’ll try to get you some practical advice on what to do. Similarly, corporate questions are welcome - for how you can effectively partner with a Foundation or community-led project without stepping on toes.
Key resource links included, to get you started with actionable and practical information for FOSS.
Reminder: branding and trademarks are just one aspect of open source project sustainability, but one that crosses many different areas.
Trademark education for engineers and community members.
]]>Are you trying to build the brand of your community-led project? Is your community struggling to keep vendor marketing teams out of your project’s governance? Do you need a lawyer before you can “trademark” something, or can you do it yourself? (Tip: you can do it yourself!)
This AMA is here to help answer basic trademark law questions in practical, everyday terms for FOSS projects and the companies that contribute to them. Legal advice can only come from your own lawyer - but most community questions have practical answers that can get you started without a lawyer. Trademarks are all about the public’s association of a brand with a product - and most of that happens in the real world, not a lawyer’s office.
Bring your simple community questions about how trademarks work, and we’ll try to get you some practical advice on what to do. Similarly, corporate questions are welcome - for how you can effectively partner with a Foundation or community-led project without stepping on toes.
Key resource links included, to get you started with actionable and practical information for FOSS.
Trademark education for engineers and community members.
]]>Have you ever wondered who actually pays for open source? Not just developers, but the whole ecosystem around major open source projects, either at a FOSS Foundation, independent projects, or an open core project at a company?
Most major software projects we all rely on are hosted at Foundations like Apache, Eclipse, Linux, or Software Freedom Conservancy. Those foundations provide a wide variety of support to project communities, including legal and licensing assistance, trademark management, event support, and more. As non-profits, these foundations rely on donors and sponsors for all of their work. So who pays for all of this critical support for open source foundations?
Come find out what companies are behind the popular open source foundations and major independent projects, and who’s actually paying for all of the other support work that’s done to keep the servers running, press releases coming, and license compliance work. Surprises are guaranteed; I know I was surprised when I realized how many different FOSS projects that Microsoft is an annual sponsor for, and what projects a few other companies supported with their cash.
Understanding how Foundations get and use their funding.
]]>Are you trying to build the brand of your community-led project? Is your community struggling to keep vendor marketing teams out of your project’s governance? Do you need a lawyer before you can “trademark” something, or can you do it yourself? (Tip: you can do it yourself!)
This AMA is here to help answer basic trademark law questions in practical, everyday terms for FOSS projects and the companies that contribute to them. Legal advice can only come from your own lawyer - but most community questions have practical answers that can get you started without a lawyer. Trademarks are all about the public’s association of a brand with a product - and most of that happens in the real world, not a lawyer’s office.
Bring your simple community questions about how trademarks work, and we’ll try to get you some practical advice on what to do. Similarly, corporate questions are welcome - for how you can effectively partner with a Foundation or community-led project without stepping on toes.
Trademark education for engineers and community members.
]]>Have you ever wondered who actually pays for open source? Not just developers, but the whole ecosystem around major open source projects, either at a FOSS Foundation, independent or an open core project at a company?
The major software projects we all rely on are mostly hosted at Foundations like Apache, Eclipse, Linux, or Software Freedom Conservancy. Those foundations provide a wide variety of support to project communities, including legal and licensing assistance, trademark management, event support, and more. As non-profits, these foundations rely on donors and sponsors for all of their work. So who pays for all of this critical support for open source foundations?
Come find out what companies are behind the popular open source foundations and major independent projects, and who’s actually paying for all of the other support work that’s done to keep the servers running, press releases coming, and license compliance work. Surprises are guaranteed; I know I was surprised when I realized how many different FOSS projects that Microsoft is an annual sponsor for, and what projects a few other companies supported with their cash.
Discovering the basics of how open source foundations finances.
]]>The Apache Way is useful for organizations and individuals to be more effective at working in distributed communities. Open source software does not necessarily mean open development - and true community-led open development is where the fun starts in working in FOSS!
There are a lot more aspects to consider and areas to invest in as you move forward through the open source journey. These are just the starting points to work on.
A key reminder: open source works best when you’re working with softare that you actually use. Taking the time to choose which teams or projects that you open up or participate is well worth the investment to keep your team’s efforts focused.
The behaviors you can use to succeed at Apache.
]]>Do you know who runs the projects behind the code you run – or contribute to? It’s not always obvious, and while you can always try forking the code, successfully attracting contributors to your fork is hard.
You don’t have to get involved in branding: but you do need to know who truly controls the direction of the open source technologies that you rely on every day. Far too many individual developers and companies rely on a wide variety of open source tools that come from different projects. How do you accurately evaluate the security, stability, and potential for future support around an open source project? How can you find if your chief competitor truly has a lock on a project’s governance and future direction?
The power behind a project’s brand is not always obvious. Come discover who governs some key open source project brands, and what might happen to governance when someone goes IPO or gets bought out. Learn how to keep governance of the project truly independent and welcoming – or how to properly own and run your own open source brand. Understand how the Three Levels Of Open help you understand open source projects.
Note that while specific references in these slides are to US trademark law, in general the same concepts apply to trademarks and brands in every country and/or in the EU as a whole. While there are some details of first-to-file or first-to-use that differ, the core importance of who owns the trademark remains the same.
Surprises guaranteed!
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