Simplify licensing code with REUSE by Max Mehl
Channel: EuroBSDcon
Date: 2021-09-27

No matter if you create Free Software code or re-use it from third parties, you have to take care of its licensing and copyright. That tends to get complicated the more files, different licenses and copyright holders you have.

REUSE is there to help! It is a set of best practices to mark individual files and complete projects with information about license(s) and copyright. Unlike other standards, it is designed with developers in mind: as simple and pragmatic as possible, accompanied by tools and with low-threshold, yet extensive documentation available.

In this talk, you will not only learn about the theory but also how to use it in practice. In a short demo, we will make a repository fully REUSE compliant and have a look at the API. We will also take a special look at the requirements of large Free Software community projects, kernels and distributions.

Max Mehl
Max Mehl is program manager at the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) and coordinates initiatives in the areas of politics, public awareness and licensing. But he is also frequently to be found in the virtual server room of the FSFE. He sees Free Software as an important component to solve urgent technical and social problems. Every day he is fascinated how many advantages software freedom brings for different aspects - from ethics to politics and economy to security technology.