The Rise and Evolution of the Open Source Software Foundation

Abstract

Free and open source software (FOSS) project communities continue to grow and thrive. When such projects reach a critical point in their growth, corporations express in participating.  Corporations have more stringent robust software intellectual property (IP) management, however, and projects are not always up to the task. Neutral non-profit FOSS foundations have proved to be a solution to these problems, providing for the IP management needs of corporations while offering additional business and technical services to the project communities to encourage further growth and adoption. This article reviews how such neutral non-profit organizations have grown to meet the evolving legal, business, and technical needs of FOSS communities and businesses.