The Court of Justice of the European Union rejected today Apple's challenge to the interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act. The Court also confirmed the App Store as a core platform service. The Free Software Foundation Europe acknowledges this as a major win for computer users and developers.
The Free Software Foundation Europe has been granted permission to intervene at the Court of Justice of the European Union in the case T-359/25 - Apple against the European Commission. This second intervention aims to defend interoperability and Software Freedom in Europe.
“The DMA is a milestone in breaking the dominance of gatekeepers, but it will only succeed if it protects Device Neutrality and empowers smaller developers and Free Software communities. True contestability means giving everyone, not just the biggest players, a fair chance to shape the future of our digital environment. We will continue to make sure that the DMA is implemented in a developer-friendly way”
The FSFE called on the community to participate in a consultation on the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme and demanded long-term sustainable funding for Free Software after recent budget cuts. Results show its success.
Together with nine stakeholders organisations, the FSFE has submitted a joint position paper to the EC. This paper, supported by legal and data-backed arguments, addresses Apple’s non-compliance with the law, particularly concerning software freedom, alternative Free Software app stores and interoperability obligations.
As the Digital Markets Act comes into effect today, Device Neutrality starts to become a tangible reality in the European Union. While acknowledging the new law, the FSFE alerts that this is only the first step and further commitment is necessary.
As a French Minister of Education, Gabriel Attal (currently French Prime Minister) presented the book “Ada & #Zangemann” to the #APFA parliamentarians meeting in the old Bonn parliament at the beginning of December.
Afterwards he gifted the book to Anke Rehlinger, Minister-President of the Saarland (Germany).
Registration is now open for the 2024 edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, the coding competition for young Europeans. This competition gives teenagers the opportunity to code their own projects – alone or in a team –, make new friends across Europe, and win up to €4,096!
Registration is now open for the 2024 edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, the coding competition for young Europeans. This competition gives teenagers the opportunity to code their own projects – alone or in a team –, make new friends across Europe, and win up to €4,096!
Speaking about Digital Public Infrastructures last week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pointed out that "the trick is to build public digital infrastructure that is interoperable, open to all and trusted". What exactly does this mean? What is required to achieve such an accessible digital infrastructure that can help foster innovation and allow cooperation on a global scale? What role does Free Software play in such ambition?
German network operators have requested the national regulator Bundesnetzagentur to start procedures to exclude Router Freedom from fiber networks. In a consultation, the FSFE picks apart all the telcos’ arguments and calls on the regulator to respect consumer rights.
From 29 August the English version of the book "Ada & Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream" is available internationally. The book tells the story of the famous inventor Zangemann and the girl Ada, a curious tinkerer. Ada begins to experiment with hardware and software and realises how important it is for her and others to control technology.
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), together with an alliance of civil society and the Free Software industry, calls on the German government to implement a sustainable digital policy and to provide the necessary funds in the federal budget now.
A pan-European survey, run by the Free Software Foundation Europe, has collected information from more than 1600 end-users and highlighted several obstacles to Router Freedom, such as lack of freedom of choice, provider lock-in and promotion of equipment running exclusively proprietary software.
The European Parliament's responsible committees voted by a large majority to protect Free Software in the AI regulation. The plenary is called upon to uphold the idea. Likewise, this principle must be anchored in the ongoing Cyber Resilience Act and Product Liability Directive and their upcoming votes.
The Greek regulator, EETT, has adopted new rules introducing Router Freedom in the country. However, in the proposal, the regulator excluded fiber connections (FTTH), a decision that has the potential to negatively impact end-user rights.