Beyond the license: measuring real openness in open source
Session Abstract
Open source licenses like GPL or MIT matter, but ecosystem is what truly defines how open and sustainable a project is. Open source isn’t always as open as it seems! There are many tactics beyond licensing to lock you in – and copyleft isn’t always better than permissive, or vice-versa.
Session Description
Open source licenses like GPL or MIT matter, but aren’t the whole story. An open project is often rather defined by its ecosystem: transparency, contribution access, buildability, and governance. In this talk, we’ll explore how projects often lean on their license as a proxy for openness, even while locking in features, obscuring build processes, or limiting community agency. I’d like to introduce the “Is It Really FOSS?” initiative, and have a look at how legal license choices intersect with reality. Let’s look at lock-in tactics beyond licensing and how to build and steward genuinely open projects that can still be sustainable.
Why it’s relevant:
• Legal professionals and OSPOs will gain insight into how licensing interacts with project structure and governance.
• Entrepreneurs and contributors will learn how to evaluate and encourage true openness—not just in words, but in processes.
• It helps you look beyond pure licensing to ecosystem trust and sustainability.
