FSFE Timeline - Working for Free Software since 2001
With the support of our Supporters, and our corporate donors FSFE has been promoting and defending all aspects of software freedom in Europe since 2001. Take a look at our most important achievements in different areas with our timeline.
In the timeline we differ between the FSFE's activity frames "Device Neutrality" ♺, "Legal Education" ⚖, "Market Regulations" 🗠 , "Public Money? Public Code" 🏛, "Volunteer Engagement" 📣, "Young "Device Neutrality" ♺, "Legal Education" ⚖, "Market Regulations" 🗳 , "Public Money? Public Code!" 🏛, "Volunteer Engagement" 📣, "Young Generation" 👾, plus "Organisational Development" 🤝.
2025
Ada & Zangemann animated movie released
The FSFE's book Ada & Zangemann - was adapted into an animated movie, reaching new audiences worldwide. The movie marked a significant step in the FSFE's long-term strategy to engage with the young generation about software freedom.
Loe lisaThe FSFE channels community input on Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)
The FSFE and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) worked together with representatives from civil society, academia, industry and public authorities in a project on the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and its implication for Free Software.
Loe lisaLaunch of Refund4Freedom Initiative
The FSFE and the Italian Linux Society jointly launched Refund4Freedom, a new initiative supporting consumers in reclaiming the cost of unwanted Windows licences bundled with new hardware.
Loe lisaLaunch of Legal Corner column
The FSFE launched the Legal Corner, a regular column that seeks to explain various legal concepts that Free Software developers may encounter, as well as explore current events in the legal realm that impact Free Software.
Loe lisaDefine our Vision 2048
The FSFE discussed what the world might would look like in the different areas of our work in 2048 and took significant strides toward this vision.
Loe lisa2024
Several victories for Router Freedom and launched the tech wiki
The FSFE participated and monitored regulatory processes in Germany, Austria, Italy and Belgium. Also we introduced the new Router Freedom tech wiki, prepared by our Netherlands team of volunteers.
Loe lisaLitigation Against Apple's DMA Non-Compliance
The FSFE intervenes in litigation brought by Apple against the European Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Loe lisaThe FSFE called for public sustainable long-term funding
The FSFE responded to the EU's cut of funding for the NGI Initiative, highlighting its demand for secured long-term funding for Free Software across Europe.
Loe lisaLaunch of the Device Neutrality website
The FSFE launched a new dedicated landing page to explain the concept of Device Neutrality in a simple and accessible way for all users, regardless of technical background.
Loe lisa2023
TEDective won EU Datathon
The FSFE's "TEDective", a Free Software tool designed to help citizens and journalists analyse and visualise public spending data from the EU's TED procurement database, won first prize at the EU Datathon.
Loe lisaPublic awareness for openwashing at Sovereign Workplace
The FSFE critically examined the German government's "Sovereign Workplace", which was labelled as "Free Software", raising questions about missing source code, accountability, and public spending.
Loe lisa2022
Release of the video ‘What is Free Software (Open Source)?’
The FSFE published a short video in English and in German: ‘What is Free Software (Open Source)?’ to explain the complex topic of software freedom. This can help a new audience grasp the importance of Free Software.
Loe lisaFirst ‘Legal Education Day’
The FSFE organized the first ‘Legal Education Day’ (LED) to provide basic legal education on the legal context of Free Software: copyright law and the concept of copyleft.
Loe lisaFirst edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom
The FSFE successfully concluded the first edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, a pan-European coding competition aimed at inspiring teenagers to engage with Free Software.
Loe lisaDefended Router Freedom in Europe
The FSF worked on several challenges, ranging from multi-stakeholder initiatives to bilateral cooperation with regulators and strategic support from partner organisations in Europe.
Loe lisaArtificial Intelligence and Free Software
The FSFE analysed how AI can be more verifiable, trustworthy, innovative with Free Software, and made policy recommendations and presented this result in different conferences.
Loe lisaDevice Neutrality into EU legislation
The FSFE dedicated efforts to include Device Neutrality in the EU's new Digital Markets Act. The Act was adopted by 642 votes in favour, formally introducing the principle of Device Neutrality into EU legislation.
Loe lisa2021
FSFE Women group formed
The FSFE Women group was created to help women and everyone who identifies as female build connections with each other while discussing technological issues.
Loe lisaLaunch of Upcycling Android Campaign
The FSFE launched the initiative to help users install Free Software operating systems on their phones, organised workshops across Europe, and developed policy recommendations to extend hardware lifetimes and reduce electronic waste.
Loe lisaPublication of Ada & Zangemann Children's Book
The FSFE released "Ada & Zangemann – A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream", a children's book written by FSFE President Matthias Kirschner and published by O'Reilly under a Creative Commons licence.
Loe lisaItalian Court rules on Windows licence refund
The FSFE supporter Luca Bonissi won a two-year court case against Lenovo in Italy, with the Court of Monza ordering the company to pay 20.000 euros in damages for refusing to refund the price of a pre-installed Windows licence.
Loe lisa2020
Launch of “Learning like a pro”
The local FSFE group in Zurich created a website which they use to explain why Free Software matters in education, described individual Free Software solutions and how these solutions in particular can be used to make school learning efficient and easy.
Loe lisaRouter Freedom victory with BEREC
BEREC sided with the FSFE's demand that any router and modem be under the full control of the user, rather than Internet Service Providers. The FSFE subsequently published a report monitoring the challenges ahead for national implementation across EU member states.
Loe lisaFree Software for COVID-19 contact tracing apps
The FSFE advocated that all publicly funded COVID-19 contact tracing apps should be released under a Free Software licence. Both the EU and the WHO followed the FSFE's arguments and recommended that any COVID-19 contact tracing app be published as Free Software.
Loe lisa2019
Router Freedom at EU level
The FSFE started monitoring the status of router freedom in several EU countries and prepared an "activity package" for people and organisations willing to advocate for router freedom.
Loe lisaLaunch of the Software Freedom Podcast
The FSFE launched a podcast series to talk once a month with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom and to reach broader audiences beyond its traditional community.
Loe lisaReuse 3.0
The FSFE released an updated set of best practices together with more assisting material and tools.
Loe lisaTearing down barriers introduced by the Radio Lockdown Directive
The European Commission collected 276 public comments on the Radio Equipment Directive, most of them critical. The FSFE continued pressing regulators to recognise that the right to install Free Software is fundamental to security, education, and innovation.
Loe lisaFirst Parliament in Europe demands public code
The Parliament of Asturias became the first Parliament in Europe to vote in favour of signing our open letter demanding "Public Money? Public Code!".
Loe lisaExpert brochure published
The FSFE published the new expert policy brochure of Public Money? Public Code!" as a helpful source of information.
Loe lisa2018
Creation of CARE team
To further ensure the availability and enforcement of our Code of Conduct, we created a CARE team so that whenever our Code of Conduct is breached within the FSFE community, you can contact our central CARE team.
Loe lisaThe FSFE joined its first NGI consortium
The NGI is a European Commission initiative supporting technologies that shape the internet into an open, inclusive, and privacy-respecting platform. The FSFE is part of the NGI Zero consortium, providing support on legal and licensing questions.
Loe lisaExclusion of Free Software in the European Union's Copyright Directive
The FSFE obtained the first limited exclusion for Free Software in a major EU legislation. In this case in the amendments 143 and 150 of the current copyright reform proposal of the European Parliament's directive.
Loe lisa2017
REUSE Initiative is launched
The FSFE created an initiative to deliver the best development options for Free Software licensing compliance.
Loe lisaFiduciary Licensing Agreement 2.0 is released
After 10 years of the Fiduciary License Agreement 1.2 (FLA-1.2). The FSFE joins forces with ContributorAgreements.org to produce FLA-2.0.
Loe lisaLaunch of 'Public Money? Public Code!'
The FSFE initiates a campaign framework for legislation requiring that publicly financed software developed for the public sector be made publicly available under a Free Software licence.
Loe lisaLaunch of Save Code Share
The FSFE starts a campaign to gather support against violations of Free Software in the EU Directive "Copyright in the Digital Single Market".
Loe lisaLaunch of git.fsfe.org
The FSFE launches a Gitea service instance for its contributors.
Loe lisa2016
The FSFE organises its 2016 summit
Marking its 15th anniversary, the FSFE calls in its community to join together under one roof for the first FSFE Summit.
Loe lisaCompulsory Routers abolished in Germany
A new law in Germany enables customers to use their own routers with their Internet connections, enabling them to use Free Software for their connections.
Loe lisaDFD campaign run by Digital Freedom Foundation
After years of organising the Document Freedom Day, the FSFE handed over the campaign to the Digital Freedom Foundation who will continue organising the event every year in support of Open Standards.
Loe lisa2015
Legal Network reaches 400 participants
The FSFE's Legal Network launched in 2006, reaches 400 participants from all over the world.
Loe lisaThe FSFE convinces 1125 public administration to remove proprietary software ads.
After a six years long campaign, the PDFreaders campaign closes after 1125 public administrations have removed advertisement for proprietary software from their web pages.
Loe lisaMatthias Kirschner is elected as new president
Having worked with the FSFE since 2004, Matthias Kirschner was elected president together with Alessandro Rubini as vice president.
Loe lisaThe FSFE issues a position paper on OER
The position paper is a boost of Open Educational Resources on the basis of Free Software
Loe lisa2014
33 Free Software Pact supporters elected to the EU Parliament
33 newly elected MEPs across the political spectrum signed the Free Software Pact, promising to support Free Software and Open Standards during their time in Parliament.
Loe lisaItaly puts Free Software first
The Italian government has made Free Software the default choice for public administrations, setting a precedence for the rest of Europe to follow.
Loe lisa2013
First European Coordinators Meeting
The FSFE coordinators from all over Europe meet in Berlin for the first time to exchange knowledge and discuss future strategies.
Loe lisaGerman parliament unanimous against Software Patents
After many talks and expert meetings, the German Parliament unanimously approved the joint motion which included nearly all of the FSFE's core demands.
Loe lisa2012
Analysis of warranty after flashing phones
The FSFE's Legal team clarifies that flashing your phone in order to install Free Software doesn't void your warranty in the EU.
Loe lisaGerman Government's White Paper on Secure Boot
Device owners should be in full control of their devices, says Ministry of Interior, echoing the FSFE's core demands.
Loe lisaPromoting fair public procurement in Finland
The FSFE activists in Finland analyse hundreds of procurement notices, and contact public bodies that put Free Software at a disadvantage.
Loe lisaOpen Standards consultation in the UK
The FSFE helps the UK government set one of Europe's strongest policies on Open Standards.
Loe lisaMicrosoft fined for violating settlement
The European Commission impose a EUR 561 million fine on Microsoft for violating the web browser settlement. The FSFE had warned of the settlement's lack of a monitoring mechanism.
Loe lisaLaunch of Free Your Android
Most smartphones come with non-free software and some restrictions. The FSFE stars a campaign to help users free their phones and use Free Software apps.
Loe lisaThe FSFE raised concerns over the Nortel patent portfolio sale
The FSFE calls on US competition regulators about faulty competition settlement regarding sale of Nortel patent portfolio. The lawsuit occurs in November 2013, as Rockstar sues Google over Android.
Loe lisaFirst "Hacking for compliance" workshop
At this workshop, the FSFE trains volunteers to identify and prove GNU GPL violations in embedded devices.
Loe lisa2011
Supported the case of AVM vs. Cybits
The FSFE supported the case of AVM vs. Cybits and the court confirmed FSFE's view that users of GNU GPLed software are allowed to modify and install it even if it is shipped as a part of an embedded device's firmware.
Loe lisaThe FSFE in European Court of Justice hearing
The FSFE played a key role at a Microsoft hearing before the European Union's General Court, helping explain the intricacies of Free Software servers.
Loe lisaThe FSFE provided input to EU's R & D funding program
Called Horizon 2020, the program will provide 80 billion EUR for research and development projects. The FSFE provided input to the Commission in order to make the program accessible for Free Software research and projects.
Loe lisa2010
The FSFE is awarded the Theodor Heuss Medal
The FSFE receives the Theodor Heuss medal for its work on freedom in the information society.
Loe lisaGerman Merrit Cross on Ribbon for the FSFE's founding president
Georg C. F. Greve receives this high award for his work on Free Software.
Loe lisaFirst "I love Free Software" Day
Every 14 February since 2010, the FSFE asks Free Software users to thank the developers of the software they use every day.
Loe lisa2009
First "Ask Your Candidates"
For the federal elections in Germany, the FSFE asks political parties about their political opinions regarding Free Software, Open standards, and ideas for more freedom.
Loe lisaLaunch of the PDFReaders campaign
Many websites from public administrations advertise proprietary PDF readers to read their documents. This is unfair advertising of an US software company. Therefore the FSFE informs about free PDF readers and contacts public institutions to tell them about it.
Loe lisa2008
Document Freedom Day campaign launched
For the first time, the FSFE promotes this international day to celebrate and show support for access to information and Open Standards.
Loe lisaFirst European Free Software Licensing and Legal Workshop
The FSFE offers a workshop focused on medium to large projects and enterprises to discuss their existing license compliance processes. Our legal experts and external partners help to deliver training and consultancy for Free Software.
Loe lisa2007
Victory on the Microsoft antitrust case
From 2004 until its conclusion in 2007, the FSFE worked hard on this case with the Samba team to protect the interests of Free Software developers. Microsoft is now required to publish interoperability information.
Loe lisaFighting against MS-OOXML
Microsoft tried to make OOXML an Open Standard. This implementation lacks interoperability information and can be considered as an attempt to undermine Open Standards. By informing about this issue MS-OOXML did not establish well enough to be a danger anymore.
Loe lisaFiduciary License Agreement
The FSFE releases the Fiduciary License Agreement (FLA) to ensure legal maintability of Free Software projects and rights in court. In 2008, KDE is adopting it as well.
Loe lisa2006
First Fellowship conference
The first Fellowship conference is organised in Bolzan (Italy) and enables the FSFE supporters to meet in person.
Loe lisaLaunch of the FSFE's Legal Team
Established and operating in close collaboration with gpl-violations.org, "FSFE Legal" educates and supports Free Software developers in legal aspects.
Loe lisaDRM.info campaign launched
Under the slogan "Your devices don't trust you", FSFE starts a campaign to inform about the dangers of digital restriction management (DRM).
Loe lisa2005
Intervening European Commmission's antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft
In order to strengthen a culture of interoperability between devices in EU member states, the FSFE files an application to participate in this important case"
Loe lisaEuropean Parliament votes against Software Patents
After an intense campaign by the FSFE and many other organisations, the European Parliament rejects the new Software Patent initiative.
Loe lisaKarlsruhe Memorandum against Software Patents
Nearly 40 organisations and over 220 individuals take a stand against the Software Patents directive before its second reading in the European Parliament.
Loe lisaCreation of the Fellowship of the FSFE
European Free Software advocates can now become supporters of the FSFE and use its infrastructure to promote and spread the vision of the FSFE.
Loe lisa2004
European Interoperability Framework
The European Interoperability Framework (EIF) is a set of interoperability guidelines with a pan-European scope. The FSFE critically observes its evolution and the influence of lobby groups for proprietary software vendors.
Loe lisaAction week against Software patents
To inform citizens, economists and politicians about the harmful consequences of the Software Patent initiative, the FSFE organized panel discussions and several demonstrations.
Loe lisaDefinition of Open Standards
The FSFE refines the Open Standards definition which will be adopted by many organisations and companies in Europe.
Loe lisa2003
Launch of the Education Task Force
To improve the access to Free Software in education, a team of experts to focus on education topics was funded by volunteers of the FSFE.
Loe lisa2001
"We speak about Free Software" campaign
The FSFE explains the advantage of using the term "Free Software" instead of "Open Source". Several companies and Bruce Perens supported the campaign.
Loe lisaFoundation of the FSFE
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is founded as a sister organisation of the FSF, with Georg C. F. Greve becoming the first president.
Loe lisa