DMA +++ LLW 2025 +++ PMPC +++SFP
In April, our work on Device Neutrality continued with news and
meetings on DMA; we had a PMPC meeting in Germany and talked about the
German coalition agreement in one of our Podcast episodes; we also held
our annual Legal & Licensing Workshop; and we published another
article in our Legal Corner.
Table of contents
Quote of the Month
"A fully enforced Digital Markets Act (DMA) provides the opportunity
to Free Software companies to break into markets that have long been
dominated and restricted by gatekeepers. We encourage Free Software
companies to seize the momentum to unwind and create Free Software
alternatives also in mobile devices.”
Lucas Lasota, FSFE Legal Programme
Manager
DMA: European Commission falls short on
interoperability requirements for Apple
Despite initial promising steps, the European Commission’s
measures
on Apple’s compliance with interoperability procedures under the Digital
Markets Act fall short. The less stringent obligations on API
documentation and long deadlines for interoperability solutions will
impact how Free Software projects get interoperability from Apple.
On April 24, 2025, the FSFE participated in a session organized by
the Open Source Business Alliance (OSBA), the association representing
Free Software companies in Germany. We were invited to present our work
on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the opportunities it creates for
Free Software companies. The discussion was fruitful, and we were happy
to see an increasing interest in this topic.
Please feel free to share this with people, organisations, and
companies that might be interested in this specific aspect of the
DMA.
SFP#33: Policy and EU: Coalition treaty in
Germany and its role for Free Software
The German coalition treaty from the CDU/CSU and SPD has been
published with over 140 pages. In our latest episode Alexander
Sander
and Bonnie Mehring talk about the coalition treaty as well as the
current digital policy decisions in Germany and the sudden removal of
Jutta
Horstmann, the CEO of the German Center for Digital Sovereignty
(ZenDiS). Together they break down the standing of Free Software in
Germany.
Restrictions on our Freedom to Study Software: A
Legal Case Study from Poland
Software is a major component of modern life, affecting large parts
of our lives. When software is embedded in vehicles, the ability to
control our digital technology becomes even more important in the name
of public safety. Despite that, a recent court case in Poland
highlights
how the law, and legal processes, can sometimes work against that.
LLW 2025, “unperfect” discussions around Free
Software in a legal environment
The Free Software Legal & Licensing Workshop convened once again,
this time in Essen, bringing together over 100 legal and compliance
professionals, technologists, and policy experts from across the globe.
The 2025 edition delved
into the evolving legal landscapes impacting
Free Software, with a particular focus on Artificial Intelligence and
cybersecurity.
Moreover, as part of the "Dialogue for Cybersecurity"
project, the FSFE and the
German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) are working
together with representatives from civil society, academia, industry, and
government in a project on the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and its implications
for Free Software. Watch the recording of the
first event in this series, which took
place on 3 April.
Symposium “Public Money? Public Code! in practice”:
Digital sovereignty needs Free Software!
The FSFE symposium on “Public
Money? Public Code!“ made it clear:
Procurement of and investment in Free Software (also known as Open
Source) are fundamental for innovation and digital sovereignty. Free
Software is key to reducing the dependencies of public administrations.
These administrations, including municipalities, have the opportunity to
advance the controllability and manageability of their digital
infrastructure by committing to Free Software in the long term. The time
has come to take action, build networks, reduce dependencies, and
establish digital sovereignty through Free Software.
Simplifying the FSFE translation process: integrating
LibreTranslate
A new release of the Webpreview
tool is here! This is our in-house
Free Software designed to support our amazing volunteers in translating
and checking website content. Among other improvements, this update
integrates LibreTranslate, providing a helpful starting point to speed
up the translation process.
Thanks to the amazing work of our volunteers, Ada & Zangemann can
now be translated on Weblate as well. This is a milestone for the
automation that is continuously being improved.
Refund4Freedom Project
Refund4Freedom is an
Italian initiative from the FSFE and the Italian Linux Society (ILS) that
defends the right of consumers to choose their operating system and to
receive a refund for pre-installed software when they buy a new device.
The project will be launched on 29 May with an online
kick-off meeting, open to any Italian enthusiast, volunteer, or
supporter. This initiative will help Italians to claim their refund,
but of course, if you live in another country, you can do it too! The
process might be a bit different, so if you do it and you are
successful, share your experience with us!
"YH4F encourages young students to be brave and
resilient"
Youth Hacking 4 Freedom would not be possible without the amazing
teenagers who join this contest, our incredible sponsors and donors
whose support is vital, and our expert jury who evaluate the projects.
One of these jury members is Brielen Madureira, who talked with us
before the participants have to submit their projects.
40 years of software freedom and the FSF: join the celebrations
The FSFE is joining the celebrations of its sister organisation, the
Free Software Foundation, and its 40 years of commitment to software
freedom.
On 29 May, members of the FSFE will join the local celebrations in
Warsaw (Poland). The event will include various activities to learn about what
Free Software is and the work the Free Software Foundations have done
over the last 40 years, as well as a panel discussion on software
freedom and machine learning.
From our
Italian community 🇮🇹
During the month of April, various Italian FSFE volunteers organised
events mainly aimed at educating younger generations about Free
Software. Among the 8 events, 6 were Ada & Zangemann readings
followed by a robotics lab, organised by Giacomo Alessandroni, reaching
a total of more than 200 students.
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volunteers, supporters, and donors who make our work possible, with a
special mention to our translators who make it possible for you to read
this newsletter in your mother tongue.
Your editor,
Ana
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