Freedom Task Force secures funding for a further year

The Freedom Task Force has been in operation as a project of the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) since the end of 2006. It provides support to individuals, projects and companies in relation to free licensing. For example, it collaborates with local experts to stage courses on free licensing in various regions, currently Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. During the next 12 months some of the NL-Net money will be used to add Germany, Italy and the UK to this list. The primary objective is to create a network for GPL-based law and technical expertise. “The Freedom Task Force contributes to a building of awareness,” explained a strategic manager of the NL-Net foundation. “It is creating a network of experts throughout Europe.” The Foundation has already supported the FSFE project over the past 12 months.

The NL-Net foundation has a long history. It states that it started to create its own network at the beginning of the 1980s, and was formally launched as a public foundation in 1989. The foundation focuses on networking and Internet technologies, supporting a wide range of different projects, many of which are being developed by the open-source community. All developments resulting from the foundation's support are subsequently available in an open-source form.

Alongside the Freedom Task Force, there are many other projects that aim to protect free software. As can be seen from the FAQ of the FTF, these organizations do not compete, but where possible work together. An example of such work is the project Gpl-violations.org, which has been running since the beginning of January 2004, and that works with Berlin-based lawyers. The FAQ also mentioned the Licensing Lab of the Free Software Foundation, which is the "home" of the GPL, and the Software Freedom Law Center, located on New York's Broadway and featuring the collaboration of a range of well-known people.