Software Freedom Conservancy, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit -organization incorporated in New York. Software Freedom Conservancy helps -promote, improve, develop, and defend Free, Libre, and Open Source Software -(FLOSS) projects. Conservancy provides a non-profit home and infrastructure -for FLOSS projects. This allows FLOSS developers to focus on what they do -best — writing and improving FLOSS for the general public — while -Conservancy takes care of the projects' needs that do not relate directly to -software development and documentation.
- -FLOSS projects whose applications are - accepted become part of the Software Freedom Conservancy - (akin to a separate department of a large agency). Once joined, the - “member project” receives most of - the benefits of existing as a non-profit corporate entity without - engaging in the arduous work of forming a separate, new organization. - Conservancy aggregates the work of running a FLOSS non-profit - for its many members.
- -Conservancy provides many important services for its - member projects. Member projects can take directed donations, which - allows donors to earmark their donations for the benefit of a specific - FLOSS project. Conservancy provides fiscal oversight to ensure that - these funds are spent in a manner that advances the project and fits - with Conservancy's 501(c)(3) mission to promote, advance, and defend software freedom.
- -If the member project's leaders want, Conservancy can also hold other - assets and titles on behalf of the projects, such as copyrights, - trademarks, domain names, online hosting accounts, and title and ownership - of physical hardware. Also at discretion of the project's leaders, - Conservancy can assist in defending the rights represented in these - assets. For example, Conservancy is available to assist member projects - in enforcing the terms of the projects' FLOSS license.
- -Finally, developers of Conservancy's member projects, when operating in - their capacity as project leaders, could receive some protection from personal - liability for their work on the project.
- -For further reading on the benefits of Conservancy, a full and detailed list of Conservancy's - services for its member projects and a a - list of Conservancy's current member projects are available.
- -Conservancy and its directors - and staff believe strongly in the principles of - software freedom, and believe that all users should have the right to - study, improve and share their software. Conservancy helps protect, - enable, coordinate, facilitate and defend the public's right to copy, - share, modify and redistribute FLOSS both non-commercially and - commercially. Finally, like most organizations devoted to FLOSS, - Conservancy opposes the notion of patents that cover software, and urges - contributors to its member projects not to apply for patents.
- -Conservancy strives to be as transparent as possible, and makes - its public filings available on its website. - Our staff blog - regularly about our activities. - Finally, detailed information about the work that - Conservancy does for its member projects is also available.
+Software Freedom Conservancy is a nonprofit organization +centered around ethical technology. Our mission is to ensure the right to +repair, improve and reinstall software. We promote and defend these rights +through fostering free and open source software (FOSS) projects, driving +initiatives that actively make technology more inclusive, and advancing policy +strategies that defend FOSS (such as copyleft).
If you have general questions about Conservancy and its work, contact information is available.