Seminars on free software licensing & GPL compliance
The FSF regularly provides these seminars as a way to ensure that the legal community has access to high quality in-depth education on the workings of free software licenses. While we provide many materials for a general audience, these seminars and the materials they generate are directed at legal professionals and law geeks. The seminars are generally one-day in-person events, where attendees can meet and learn from top professionals in the field of free software licensing. You can keep up to date on announcements of future events by joining our FSF Licensing mailing list, or check out educational materials from our previous events, listed below.
GPL Enforcement and Legal Ethics, 2019
Held on October 16, 2019, at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, NC. The instructors included John Sullivan, Marc Jones, J.D., Justin C. Colannino, J.D., Donald R. Robertson, III, J.D., and Pamela Chestek, J.D.
Educational Materials
- Copyleft and the GNU General Public License: A comprehensive tutorial and guide
- Pamela Chestek -- Model trademark guidelines
- Pamela Chestek -- Who owns the project name?
- Pamela Chestek -- FOSSmarks: A practical guide to understanding trademarks in the context of free and open source software projects
- Donald Robertson -- The changing face of license proliferation
- Donald Robertson -- Proliferation licenses discussed
Event Information
GPL Enforcement and Legal Ethics, 2018
Held on September 27, 2018 at UC Berkeley School of Law in Berkeley, CA. The instructors included: Karen Sandler, Bradley Kuhn, and Donald R. Robertson, III, J.D.
Educational Materials
- Copyleft and the GNU General Public License: A comprehensive tutorial and guide
- Reference free, libre, and open source software policy for financial services institutions
- California Department of Technology code reuse letter
- Federal Source Code Policy
- NZGOAL Software Extension
Event Information
GPL Enforcement and Legal Ethics, 2014
Held on March 24, 2014 at Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA. The instructors included Karen Sandler, Bradley Kuhn, and Donald R. Robertson, III, J.D..
Educational Materials
- Copyleft and the GNU General Public License: A comprehensive tutorial
- Katen Sandler -- Legal ethics for free software
Event Information
The GPL and Legal Aspects of Free Software Development, 2005
Held on September 28, 2005 at Columbia Law School in New York, NY. The instructors included Eben Moglen, Daniel Ravicher, and David Turner.
Educational Materials
- Dan Ravicher's slides -- The implied patent grant of the GPL
- Dave Turner's slides -- How the GPL works
Event Information
GPL and Free Software Licensing, 2004
Held on August 24-25, 2004 at Stanford University in Stanford, CA. The instructors included Daniel Ravicher and Bradley Kuhn.
Event Information
Detailed Study and Analysis of GPL and LGPL, 2004
Held on January 20, 2004 at Columbia Law School in New York, NY.
Free Software Licensing and the GNU GPL, 2003
Held on August 8, 2003 at Stanford Law School in Stanford, CA. The instructors included Daniel Ravicher, Bradley M. Kuhn, and Larry Lessig.