Funambol Helps New AGPLv3 Open Source License Gain Formal OSI Approval
Posted on March 14, 2008
Filed Under Silicon Valley News
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 13 /PRNewswire/ — Funambol, the leading
provider of Mobile 2.0 messaging software powered by open source, today
announced that the AGPLv3 has received formal approval by the Open Source
Initiative (OSI). Funambol led the process of the license’s approval by the
OSI after adopting AGPLv3 in November. It was the first company to adopt
the license, which closes the “ASP loophole”.
The AGPLv3 was released by the Free Software Foundation last June as an
addition to the GNU General Public License, which is the world’s most
popular free license and accounts for almost three quarters of all
licensing of free software packages. Unlike GPLv3, the AGPLv3 license
enforces copyleft when software is distributed as a service (SaaS), which
is a fundamental requirement when considering how consumers and enterprises
purchase and use software today.
“We created the Honest Public License to address the ASP loophole, but
always said we would be first in line to adopt the AGPLv3,” said Fabrizio
Capobianco, CEO of Funambol. “For companies committed to open source, this
license is very important as many applications today are delivered through
the SaaS model. Funambol was happy to take the leadership role and help the
AGPLv3 receive formal OSI approval and legitimize the license for other
open source companies to adopt.”
Funambol was the first open source company to adopt the AGPLv3 last
November and has since been leading the process of getting the AGPLv3
through the OSI ratification process. WaveMaker Software also recently
announced its adoption of the AGPLv3 for the new version of their WaveMaker
Visual Ajax Studio, a tool for building database-driven Ajax Web
applications without having to write complex code.
“For us, the AGPLv3 license made perfect sense,” said Christopher
Keene, CEO of WaveMaker. “Our enterprise Web 2.0 software requires the SaaS
distribution model and the AGPLv3 makes certain that copyleft will be
protected. Version 3 of the AGPL ultimately protects the primary reason for
open source’s success — ensuring people can contribute code and their
ideas back to the community.”
In order for a license to receive formal OSI approval it must undergo
the OSI’s License Review Process. Funambol submitted the license to the
review board last fall. The purpose of this process is to ensure that all
licenses and software labeled as “open source” conform to the standard open
source definition held by the OSI to standardize and discourage duplicative
licenses.
“AGPLv3 is a useful tool for developers of, for example, web
applications who are seeking to ensure perpetual respect for end-users’
freedoms. SFLC believes there are many development projects that would
benefit from considering the use of AGPLv3, and we welcome the OSI’s
decision,” said Eben Moglen, Director of the Software Freedom Law Center
(SFLC).
About Funambol
Funambol provides mobile 2.0 messaging software powered by open source.
The company is the leading provider of open source push email and PIM sync
solutions for the mass market. Funambol open source has been downloaded
2,000,000 times by tens of thousands of developers and users in 200
countries. The commercial version of Funambol has been deployed at service
providers, mobile operators, portals, device manufacturers and ISVs
including customers such as 1&1, Earthlink and CA, Inc. (formerly Computer
Associates). Funambol is headquartered in Redwood City, CA with an R&D
center in Italy. See http://www.funambol.com.
SOURCE Funambol
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