Interoperable Europe Academy launches a course in open source licensing

Interoperable Europe Academy  released a new, free online course entitled “Introduction to open software licences,” which covers the basics of open source licensing. The class targets IT professionals, policymakers and public servants working in the field of digitalisation and integration of public services who wish to better understand and apply OS licences in their ICT products and solutions. The lesson offers an interactive learning environment and should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

Overall, the course covers core topics, focusing on types and characteristics of different OS licences, main similarities and differences between them, as well as the applicable legal framework in the EU. Users will learn about the basic principles and benefits of open source applications, such as their reusability, adaptability, and auditability. The module also discusses the main features of permissive, reciprocal, and moderately reciprocal licences, in addition to explaining the actions permissible under derivative licences, namely the correction, adaptation, and fusion of works.

Once they complete the class, learners can take a multiple-choice quiz to test their knowledge. As such, this course serves as a great entry point for complete beginners or a handy review for any professional looking to understand the basic rules and principles applicable to OS licences.

The Interoperable Europe Academy is a free-of-charge, EU-owned online hub with educational resources directly supplied by the EU institutions. The course helps to enhance the EU citizens’ skills in the face of future challenges, which is especially important given that around 42% of Europeans lack basic digital skills. Coupled with the fact that 2023 serves as the EU Year of Skills, this course complements the EU’s efforts of increasing professional education and upskilling its workforce. 

Alongside this course, Interoperable Europe Academy also hosts the “Joinup Licensing Assistant” beginners’ module or the “European Union Public Licence” intermediary class. Together with the OSOR repository of news items, case studies and country reports, Interoperable Europe Academy courses on open source licencing form a comprehensive and up-to-date resource kit on open source.