5 Reasons to Collaborate on Open Source Software at the Eclipse Foundation

Associations that attempt to develop their own governance and legal framework for open collaboration likely don’t have the intellectual property (IP) and patent licensing expertise needed to get it right.

Unfortunately, many associations adopt old-style IP and licensing models that break the open source collaboration model because developers can’t simply take a piece of source code and freely experiment with it. This restriction limits widescale adoption of the open source software, slows technology advancement, and makes the results of the association’s efforts far less relevant.

Multiple European associations that leverage open source software have approached the Eclipse Foundation for assistance with their governance model. They know the Eclipse Foundation already has an established governance and legal framework for open source collaboration, community building, and innovation. Plus, they see the value in adopting a framework that was built with community support and feedback, and that has been accepted and successfully implemented for years.

Because all Eclipse Foundation members have already agreed to follow the Foundation’s governance framework, there’s no need to work through the many different, and potentially conflicting, interests that can arise when a new association is created.

New open source ecosystems that recognize these benefits, and want to keep governance and legal risks as low as possible, are also choosing to host their efforts at the Eclipse Foundation, including:

• The Oniro Working Group
• The Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle Working Group

It can easily take several years to reinvent all of the governance and processes the Eclipse Foundation has already developed. One of the major European associations that came to the Eclipse Foundation for assistance had been working on its IP policy and bylaws for 18 months with very few tangible results.

In contrast, the Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle Working Group was able to take advantage of the existing Eclipse Foundation framework and processes. As a result, ecosystem members began openly collaborating just three months after initially joining forces. This is an amazing achievement, given the potential complexity that can arise among such a broad range of large, world-class organisations. Founding members include:

One of the main reasons organisations have historically chosen to form a new open source association is to maintain control over the way the ecosystem operates, rather than adopt a governance model they can’t change. Unfortunately, the control these organisations seek ends up stifling open collaboration and innovation opportunities:

• Small and medium-sized organisations don’t have the financial or legal resources to adequately review the governance of multiple, uniquely operated open source associations. This tilts governance in favor of larger organisations.

• When larger organisations dominate, the ecosystem can’t fully benefit from the innovation and cutting-edge skill sets that smaller, more nimble, and entrepreneurial organisations often bring to the table.

Working groups hosted at the Eclipse Foundation follow a charter that clearly defines the collaborative boundaries for ecosystem members. Every ecosystem member has an equal voice and an equal vote, no matter the size of their organisation, their membership fees, or how many of their staff participate in the ecosystem.

This level playing field opens the door for organisations of all sizes, and at all stages of development, to openly innovate and collaborate. Inevitably, the ecosystem output is more advanced and innovative, and is relevant to a much wider range of organisations to drive broader technology adoption.

The growing number of siloed, special-purpose, and single-topic open source associations and foundations fractures and weakens the global open source ecosystem.

With so much noise in the open source universe, it’s difficult for associations, particularly smaller ones, to create the visibility needed for sustainable operations. Staffing and financial shortfalls, and lack of experience nurturing open source communities, compound the challenges. And every association is chasing a finite member pool.

The Eclipse Foundation brand is globally recognized and proven to boost credibility for ecosystems and their members. With consistent governance, licensing, and life cycle models across all communities and projects, it’s easy and cost-effective for organisations to participate in all initiatives that interest them.

To support and nurture the working groups it hosts, the Eclipse Foundation provides the services many ecosystems are unable to deliver on their own, including:

• IP and trademark management and licensing
• Ecosystem development and marketing
• Collaborative management
• Specification development
• Branding and compatibility
• Marketing and promotion
• IT infrastructure

With no need to worry about staffing and delivering these critical services, ecosystems are free to focus on technology and innovation objectives while continuing to grow and diversify.

In a standalone open source association, collaboration opportunities are typically limited to the members of the association.

At the Eclipse Foundation, there are endless opportunities for ecosystem members and entire ecosystems to openly collaborate on shared goals across technologies and industry focus areas. There’s no need to negotiate individual agreements or manage multiple highly diverse sets of requirements and rules.

At the ecosystem level, a number of working groups are collaborating to strengthen their individual efforts, including:

• Jakarta EE and MicroProfile Working Groups
• Eclipse IoT and Eclipse Edge Native Working Groups

Within these very diverse ecosystems, members ranging from major multinational players to small, entrepreneurial organisations have discovered the potential to combine their respective technologies. For example, Obeo, a Strategic Member of the Eclipse Foundation with a few dozen employees, is partnering with Thales, a multinational corporation with tens of thousands of employees. Both companies contribute to numerous Eclipse Foundation projects.