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Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to control technology.
Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt, and share software. These rights help support other fundamental rights like freedom of speech, freedom of press, and privacy. Learn more...
News
When acquiring a new laptop you often end up dealing with an imposed pre-installed Microsoft Windows operating system. Even if you do not want to use it, you still need to pay for the Windows license. This is unfair. The Refund4Freedom initiative guides users in how to get their money back in these cases and demands the end of this practice that limits user freedom.
Software Freedom Podcast
Dive with us into the inner workings of the European Parliament and learn about their approach on technological sovereignty. In this 34th episode of the Software Freedom Podcast Alex and Bonnie discuss the current debate in the European Union and pay special attention to the current European technological sovereignty and digital infrastructure INI.
Community
As a general rule, software source code is protected by copyright by default. Copyright holders create Free Software by applying a Free Software license to their code. Creative works, such as source code, nevertheless must be sufficiently original in nature before they can be protected by copyright. Exactly what is this “threshold of originality”, and are there types of code that are not automatically protected by copyright?
Youth Hacking 4 Freedom 2025: programming competition (online)
00:0101 January – 23:59 UTC
30 June 2025
FSFE at Hackmeeting HackIT 2025 in Cagliari, Italy
13:0030 – 21:00 UTC
31 May 2025
FSFE at T-DOSE 2025 in Eindhoven, Netherlands
09:0031 May – 18:00 UTC
01 June 2025
Free Software and FSFE is to me: sharing, learning, being independent of monopolies, producing things together, passion and freedom! Since I've been a Supporter, I am finding new friends who help me in Free Software and other topics, teaching new things every day even though we are kilometers away. It is magnificent to be in a community that continually supports my Free Software passion and motivation!
When I read the term "Intellectual Property" I always suspected it to be a "contradictio in adiecto", because only something physical can be possessed, intellectual ideas can not. To get the best benefit out of ideas for all, they should be spread as wide as possible and with as few restrictions as possible. The GNU General Public License seems to be a good example for such little restriction, especially the inheritance principle prevents possible misuse of the idea about Free Software. Following these ideas in an ethical way, for me the FSFE seems to be the very best NGO to be found. And so I support them. And I only found kind people here.
I love Free Software because it empowers me to do unconventional and innovative things. It allows me to be independent from any single entity, fosters a culture of transparency, deepens my understanding of the tools I use, and helps build a trusting community. I want the next one to have the same freedoms I enjoy and to break the chain of proprietary, unjust software. This is why I support FSFE and proudly advocate for Free Software.
Andrea `amreo` Laisa (Computer Science student and maker, BGLUG associate)
