named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
GPL Compliance and Legal Education
Offers guidance and legal resources to ensure compliance with copyleft licenses like the GNU General Public License (GPL), promoting legal understanding within the open source community.
Legal Advocacy in Software Freedom Cases
Provides amicus briefs and direct legal support in major copyright and patent cases affecting the FOSS community, such as Google v. Oracle, to defend the principle of API uncopyrightability and fair use.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Free and Open-Source Software Advocacy & Development 6 activities
- Advocate in high-impact legal cases through amicus briefs and direct litigationFiles amicus curiae briefs in landmark U.S. Supreme Court and federal cases to shape legal precedent on issues critical to free software, including API copyrightability, fair use, software patent eligibility, and design patent damages. Also initiates direct legal action, such as trademark cancellation proceedings, and defends against invalid patents through reexamination.
- Build capacity in the FOSS community through codes of conduct, fellowship programs, and fiscal sponsorshipFounded a Code of Conduct practice to help FOSS projects create and administer community policies and serve as mediators in disputes. Established a graduate legal fellowship with Columbia Law School, founded SFLC.in in India for Internet freedom training, and created the Free Software Support Network to provide fiscal sponsorship for emerging FOSS projects.
- Conduct research and publish educational legal resources for FOSS developersProduces in-depth legal publications including a primer on legal issues in FOSS development, a guide to GPL compliance, whitepapers on copyleft in regulated industries like automotive software, and documentation on copyright interactions in software distribution.
- Develop and promote free software through independent reimplementation and copyleft licensingEngages in independent reimplementation of software APIs and develops free software tools licensed under copyleft terms to ensure user rights to study, copy, modify, and share software.
- Lead advocacy campaigns shaping free software legal norms and policiesDrives industry-wide adoption of GPLv3’s “notice and cure” license termination provisions across companies using GPLv2-licensed software, including Red Hat, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and others. Played a foundational role in the legal campaign against API copyrightability, culminating in the Supreme Court's decision in Google v. Oracle.
- Provide legal representation and direct legal services to free and open source software projects and foundationsOffers comprehensive legal support to major FOSS communities such as the Free Software Foundation, Linux Foundation, Debian, Ethereum, Apache Software Foundation, and OpenSSL. Services include trademark registration and defense, entity formation, tax-exempt status assistance, contract drafting, governance guidance, and dispute resolution related to software use and development.
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Legal Professional Development & Networking 1 activity
- Host annual legal conference for FOSS stakeholders with public dissemination and CLE accreditationOrganizes an annual conference on legal issues in free and open source software at Columbia Law School, offering Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits to New York attorneys. Makes video, audio, and transcripts of sessions publicly available online.
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Human Rights Advocacy & Accountability 1 activity
- Represent civil society in international digital policy forumsRepresents U.S. civil society at global policy discussions, including OECD ministerial panels on internet openness, providing legal expertise on digital economy policy and Internet freedom.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$478K
Contributions & grants$358K75%
Program service revenue$120K25%
Investment income$70%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$478K
Program expenses73%
Admin / overhead25%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$208K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$402K
Cash$396K
Investments$0
Liabilities$310K
Net assets$92K
Liquid reserves9.9 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -48.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| EBEN MOGLEN | PRES, EXEC DIR, & CHAIRMAN | 30 | $62K |
board members · 2
- DANIEL WEITZNER — DIRECTOR
- DIANE M PETERS — SECRETARY & DIRECTOR
relationships · 55
Who they work with
- Apache Software Foundation Partner — Client represented by SFLC in legal matters.
- Audi Partner — Representative from Audi participated in a panel on automotive FOSS adoption.
- Bidio Partner — Representative from Bidio participated in a session on Hyperledger and blockchain collaboration.
- CA Technologies Partner — Joined coalition adopting GPLv3's cure period provisions for GPLv2-licensed works.
- Canonical USA, Ltd. Partner — Representative from Canonical participated in a panel on automotive use of free and open source software.
- Cisco Partner — Joined coalition adopting GPLv3's cure period provisions for GPLv2-licensed works.
- Cloud Native Computing Foundation Partner — Client represented by SFLC in legal matters.
- Columbia Law School Partner — Host institution for SFLC Graduate Fellowship.
- Columbia Law School Partner — Hosted the Software Freedom Law Center's annual conference at its campus.
- Columbia Law School Partner — Hosted the Software Freedom Law Center's annual conference.
- Debian Partner — Client represented by SFLC in legal matters.
- Ethereum Partner — Client represented by SFLC in legal matters.
- European Commission Government — Received an opinion from SFLC on the competitive effects of Oracle’s acquisition of Sun.
- Facebook Partner — Joined coalition adopting GPLv3's cure period provisions for GPLv2-licensed works.
- Free Software Foundation Partner — Client represented by SFLC in legal matters.
- Free Software Foundation Partner — Collaborated with FSF on legal strategy and advocacy for free software, including serving as general counsel.
- Free Software Foundation Partner — Collaborated with SFLC on the development of the GNU General Public License version 3.
- Free Software Foundation Europe Partner — Co-issued a joint statement with Software Freedom Law Center regarding Eben Moglen.
- Free Software Foundation Europe Partner — Jointly issued a public statement with SFLC regarding Eben Moglen and SFLC.
- Free Software Foundation Europe Partner — Previously involved in a Code of Conduct complaint filed by Eben Moglen; referenced in a joint statement concerning SFLC matters.
- Free Software Support Network Network — Initiative established by SFLC to provide fiscal sponsorship and legal infrastructure for FOSS projects.
- GENIVI Partner — Representative from GENIVI participated in a panel on FOSS in the automotive industry.
- Google Partner — Joined coalition adopting GPLv3's cure period provisions for GPLv2-licensed works.
- Google Partner — Representative from Google delivered a keynote address on open source compliance philosophy.
- Google Partner — Subject of legal advocacy by SFLC in the Google v. Oracle case, where SFLC filed amicus briefs supporting interoperability and fair use.
- HPE Partner — Joined coalition adopting GPLv3's cure period provisions for GPLv2-licensed works.
- IBM Partner — Joined coalition adopting GPLv3's cure period provisions for GPLv2-licensed works.
- IBM Partner — Representative from IBM participated in a panel on the importance of FOSS in artificial intelligence development.
- League of Moveable Type Partner — Source for free fonts used on the website: Junction, Sorts Mill Goudy, and Blackout
- Linux Foundation Partner — Client represented by SFLC in legal matters.
+ 25 more
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community Governance through Codes of Conductmethodology: community-governance-supportBy supporting FOSS projects in creating and enforcing codes of conduct, the organization improves community health and inclusivity, because structured governance mechanisms foster safer, more sustainable contributor environments that attract and retain diverse developers.
- Cure-Based Copyleft Compliancemethodology: cure-based complianceBy advocating for a "notice and cure" period in response to copyleft license violations, the organization increases compliance and reduces license terminations, because offering infringers a chance to correct behavior promotes long-term adherence to free software licenses over punitive enforcement.
- Independent Reimplementation under Copyleftmethodology: independent_reimplementation_and_copyleftBy independently reimplementing software APIs from scratch and licensing them under copyleft, the organization ensures user freedoms and prevents proprietary capture, because clean-room implementations avoid copyright issues while legally mandating downstream openness.
- Legal Advocacy for Software Freedommethodology: legal advocacy for software freedomBy advancing legal arguments in key areas such as fair use and the uncopyrightability of APIs, the organization produces greater legal clarity and precedent that protects software freedom, because established legal principles enable broader innovation and reuse in the FOSS ecosystem.