Open Web Foundation Agreement Licenses Specifications for All
The Open Web Foundation has drafted a public agreement with which creators of proprietary specifications can grant the developer community usage rights.
The agreement allows corporations, employers, partnerships or similar legal entities and individuals to grant each other free usage rights to their specifications. One the one hand it should it easier for publishers of formats and protocols to manage their licensees, in that not everyone needs to sign a separate license agreement. On the other hand the agreement should break up the world of myopic specifications so as to move them along in a more unifying way.
The foundation mentions in their introduction that the use cases for the agreement should "include everything from small ad-hoc formats sketched out among friends to large multi-corporation collaborations that ultimately grow into international recognized standards." The text of the agreement is not particularly long. Agreement grantors can simply provide downloads, for example. It also allows limiting existing usage rights to certain versions of the specification, including the right to create and sell derivatives.
The agreement is to be the first step in an open specification process that follows the open source developer model, at least as promised at the founding of the Open Web Foundation at last year's OSCON conference. In the next few months, the foundation also promises a general, reusable Contributor License Agreement that not only recycles specifications, but addresses contributions at earlier stages of specification development.
Issue 269/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Kubuntu Focus Announces XE Gen 2 Linux Laptop
Another Kubuntu-based laptop has arrived to be your next ultra-portable powerhouse with a Linux heart.
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.