FSFE Timeline - Working for Free Software since 2001
With the support of our supporters, and our donors, the 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, Organisational Development, Public Money? Public Code!, Volunteer Engagement and Young Generation.
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.
Dowiedz się więcejCommunity input on the Cyber Resilience Act
The FSFE and the German 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.
Dowiedz się więcejRefund4Freedom Initiative launched
The FSFE and the Italian Linux Society jointly launched Refund4Freedom, an initiative to support users in reclaiming the cost of the unwanted Windows licences bundled with their new purchased hardware.
Dowiedz się więcej"Public Money? Public Code! in practice" symposium
The FSFE organised the symposium “Public Money? Public Code! in practice”,where representatives from public administration, politics, business, academia, and civil society discussed how Free Software procurement, funding, and ecosystem collaboration can reduce dependencies and strengthen digital sovereignty.
Dowiedz się więcejLegal Corner column launched
The FSFE started publishing the Legal Corner, a regular column that seeks to explain the diverse legal concepts that Free Software developers may encounter, as well as explore current events in the legal realm that mpact Free Software.
Dowiedz się więcejVision 2048 defined
The FSFE discussed what the world could look like across the different areas of our work by 2048, and made significant strides toward that vision.
Dowiedz się więcej2024
Litigation Against Apple under the Digital Markets Act
The FSFE intervenes in litigation brought by Apple against the European Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union. The FSFE's goal is to enforce the DMA in a developer-friendly way.
Dowiedz się więcejCalled for public sustainable long-term funding
The FSFE responded to the European Commission's cut of funding for the NGI Initiative, highlighting its demand for secured long-term funding for Free Software across Europe.
Dowiedz się więcejDevice Neutrality website launched
The FSFE unveiled a dedicated landing page to explain the concept of Device Neutrality in a simple and accessible way for all users, regardless of technical background.
Dowiedz się więcej2023
TEDective, winner of the EU Datathon prize
"TEDective" won the first prize at the EU Datathon. This Free Software tool was designed by the FSFE to help citizens and journalists analyse and visualise public spending data from the EU's TED procurement database.
Dowiedz się więcejRouter Freedom tech wiki published
The FSFE introduced the new Router Freedom tech wiki, prepared by our Netherlands team of volunteers. The aim of this guide is to replace the modem of your ISP by your own.
Dowiedz się więcejFediverse Education Day
Together with public institutions, the FSFE co-organised one of the first symposiums dedicated to the Fediverse in Germany. More than 70 participants from different backgrounds discussed decentralised social networks and their relevance for democratic societies.
Dowiedz się więcejOpenwashing at German Sovereign Workplace
The FSFE critically examined the German government's initiative "Sovereign Workplace", which was labelled as "Free Software". We raised questions about missing source code, accountability, and public spending.
Dowiedz się więcej2022
‘What is Free Software (Open Source)?’ video released
The FSFE published 'What is Free Software (Open Source)? Software freedom explained in less than three minutes! to explain the complex topic of software freedom'. This video helps to understand and grasp the importance of Free Software.
Dowiedz się więcejOpen Letter "The universal right to install any software on any device"
More than 100 civil society organisations across sectors signed our open letter “The universal right to install any software on any device”. The letter was hand delivered to the Chair of the Digital Affairs Committee at the German Parliament in 2023.
Dowiedz się więcejLaunched of FediGov
The FSFE Swiss local group launches an initiative with GNU/Linux.ch to encourage public institutions to use federated free software solutions to communicate with their people.
Dowiedz się więcej'Youth Hacking 4 Freedom' first edition
The FSFE successfully launched Youth Hacking 4 Freedom (YH4F), a pan-European and annual programming competition aimed at inspiring teenagers to engage with Free Software.
Dowiedz się więcejThe FSFE part of the ZOOOM Initiative
Funded by the EC, the ZOOOM consoritum promoted a solid understanding of licensing requirements and business needs in the intersection of Free Software, Open Data and Open Source Hardware.
Dowiedz się więcejArtificial Intelligence and Free Software
The FSFE analysed how AI can be more verifiable, trustworthy, and innovative with Free Software, and made policy recommendations. This result was presented in different conferences.
Dowiedz się więcej2021
The 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.
Dowiedz się więcejFirst ‘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.
Dowiedz się więcejUpcycling Android Campaign launched
The FSFE started this initiative to help users install Free Software operating systems on their phones, by organizing workshops across Europe, and developing policy recommendations to extend hardware lifetimes and reduce electronic waste.
Dowiedz się więcejAda & Zangemann Children's Book published
The FSFE released "Ada & Zangemann – A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream", a children's book written by the FSFE President Matthias Kirschner and published under a Creative Commons licence.
Dowiedz się więcejDevice Neutrality initiative
The FSFE's initiative to protect Device Neutrality and software freedom by countering lock-ins, strengthening end-user control over data, and defending the uer's right to free to install, run, and uninstall software on their own devices.
Dowiedz się więcejKey court case on Windows license refund
The FSFE's supporter Luca Bonissi won a two-year court case against Lenovo in Italy, with the court ordering the company to pay 20.000 euros in damages for refusing to refund the price of a pre-installed Windows licence.
Dowiedz się więcej2020
“Learning like a pro” launched
The local FSFE group in Zurich created a website which they 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.
Dowiedz się więcejFree 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.
Dowiedz się więcej2019
Router Freedom reaches the European level
After victories in Germany, the FSFE expands its advocacy for Router Freedom at EU level, preparing a comprehensive activity package including a monitoring tool for people and organisations willing to advocate for freedom of terminal equipment.
Dowiedz się więcejLaunch of the Software Freedom Podcast
The FSFE launched a podcast series to talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom and to reach broader audiences beyond its traditional community.
Dowiedz się więcejReuse 3.0
The FSFE released an updated set of best practices together with more assisting material and tools.
Dowiedz się więcejTearing 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.
Dowiedz się więcejFirst 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!".
Dowiedz się więcejExpert brochure published
The FSFE published the new expert policy brochure of Public Money? Public Code!" as a helpful source of information.
Dowiedz się więcej2018
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.
Dowiedz się więcejThe 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.
Dowiedz się więcejExclusion 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.
Dowiedz się więcej2017
REUSE Initiative launched
The FSFE created an initiative to deliver the best development options for Free Software licensing compliance.
Dowiedz się więcejFiduciary 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.
Dowiedz się więcejLaunch 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.
Dowiedz się więcejLaunch 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".
Dowiedz się więcejLaunch of git.fsfe.org
The FSFE launches a Gitea service instance for its contributors.
Dowiedz się więcej2016
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.
Dowiedz się więcejRouter Freedom established in Germany
After three years of intense engagement with policy makers in Germany, Router Freedom became a reality in the country. A telecom law enabled customers to use their own routers with their Internet connections, enabling them to use Free Software for their connections.
Dowiedz się więcejDFD 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.
Dowiedz się więcej2015
Legal Network reaches 400 participants
The FSFE's Legal Network launched in 2006, reaches 400 participants from all over the world.
Dowiedz się więcejThe 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.
Dowiedz się więcejMatthias 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.
Dowiedz się więcejThe FSFE issues a position paper on OER
The position paper is a boost of Open Educational Resources on the basis of Free Software
Dowiedz się więcej2014
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.
Dowiedz się więcejItaly 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.
Dowiedz się więcej2013
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.
Dowiedz się więcejGerman 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.
Dowiedz się więcej2012
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.
Dowiedz się więcejGerman 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.
Dowiedz się więcejPromoting 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.
Dowiedz się więcejOpen Standards consultation in the UK
The FSFE helps the UK government set one of Europe's strongest policies on Open Standards.
Dowiedz się więcejMicrosoft 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.
Dowiedz się więcejFree Your Android launched
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.
Dowiedz się więcejConcerns 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.
Dowiedz się więcejFirst "Hacking for compliance" workshop
At this workshop, the FSFE trains volunteers to identify and prove GNU GPL violations in embedded devices.
Dowiedz się więcej2011
AVM vs. Cybits case
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.
Dowiedz się więcejEuropean 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.
Dowiedz się więcejInput to EU's R&D funding program
The FSFE provided input to the Commission in order to make Horizion 2020 (EU's R&D funding program for the period 2014-2020) accessible for Free Software research and projects.
Dowiedz się więcej2010
The FSFE is awarded the Theodor Heuss Medal
The FSFE receives the Theodor Heuss medal for its work on freedom in the information society.
Dowiedz się więcejThe FSFE's founding president awarded German Cross of Merit
Georg C. F. Greve, founding president of the FSFE, receives this high award (Verdienstkreuz am Bande).for his work on Free Software and Open Standards.
Dowiedz się więcejFirst "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.
Dowiedz się więcej2009
"Ask Your Candidates" launched
For the federal elections in Germany, the FSFE started this initiative to ask the parties' candidates about their positions on Free Software and Open Standards
Dowiedz się więcejKarsten Gerloff is elected as new president
Team member of the FSFE since 2005, Karsten Gerloff was elected FSFE president together with Fernanda Weiden as vice president.
Dowiedz się więcejPDFReaders 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.
Dowiedz się więcej2008
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.
Dowiedz się więcejFirst Free Software Licensing and Legal Workshop
The Free Software Licensing and Legal Workshop (LLW) gathers experts to discuss license and legal topics, organized by the FSFE's Freedom Task Force.
Dowiedz się więcej2007
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. As a result, Microsoft is required to publish interoperability information.
Dowiedz się więcejAgainst the standardisation of MS-OOXML
Microsoft tried to make OOXML an Open Standard. This implementation lacks interoperability information and can be considered an attempt to undermine Open Standards. By informing about this issue, MS-OOXML ended up not being established well enough to be a danger anymore.
Dowiedz się więcejFiduciary 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 adopted it as well.
Dowiedz się więcej2006
First Fellowship conference
The first Fellowship conference took place in Bolzano, Italy, enabling FSFE supporters to meet in person.
Dowiedz się więcejThe FSFE's Legal Team established
Operating in close collaboration with gpl-violations.org, "FSFE Legal" educates and supports Free Software developers in legal aspects.
Dowiedz się więcejLegal Network founded
The Legal Network is a neutral, non-partisan, group of experts in different fields involved in Free Software legal issues and the aim of it is to promote discussion and foster better knowledge of the legal constructs that back Free Software.
Dowiedz się więcejDRM.info campaign launched
Under the slogan "Your devices don't trust you", the FSFE starts a campaign to inform about the dangers of digital restriction management (DRM).
Dowiedz się więcej2005
EC'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 intervene in this important case".
Dowiedz się więcejEuropean Parliament votes against Software Patents
After an intense campaign by the FSFE and other organisations, the European Parliament rejects the Software Patent initiative.
Dowiedz się więcejKarlsruhe Memorandum against Software Patents
Nearly 40 organisations and over 220 individuals took a stand against the Software Patents directive before its second reading in the European Parliament.
Dowiedz się więcejThe Fellowship of the FSFE
European Free Software advocates can now become fellows by supporting the FSFE. As fellows, they can also use the FSFE's infrastructure to promote and spread our vision as volunteers."
Dowiedz się więcej2004
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.
Dowiedz się więcejAction 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.
Dowiedz się więcejOpen Standards definition
The FSFE contributes to redefine the Open Standards definition, which will be adopted by many organisations and companies in Europe.
Dowiedz się więcej2003
Education Task Force created
To improve the access to Free Software in education, the Education Task Force was funded by volunteers of the FSFE. The members are experts in this topic.
Dowiedz się więcej2001-2002
"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.
Dowiedz się więcejFoundation 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.
Dowiedz się więcej