Freedom or fairness? Open source debate at the 10th Bitkom Forum

“The future of open source - fair, regulated, intelligent”: Under this motto, Bitkom invites you to the 10th Bitkom Forum Open Source on Sept. 12, 2024 in Erfurt. What does the future of the open source ecosystem look like? What opportunities and challenges are there for individuals, companies and society? SerNet GmbH is looking forward to continuing its long tradition and being there again this year.

Dr. Johannes Loxen, founder and Managing Director of SerNet, will kick off the event with a joint panel discussion with Peer Heinlein from Heinlein Support GmbH. In “The cuckoo in the bidding process: When the provider loses to itself”, the discussion will focus on the competitive environment of open source software - in particular, what special features open source providers have to deal with today and in the future.

Controversial viewpoints promise an exciting round. Heinlein identifies free riders in the open source ecosystem and calls for a code of conduct and fair tender criteria, among other things, to promote the sustainable development of open source software. Loxen takes the opposite view: “Free software, especially copyleft software, must be truly free,” he argues. “Anyone who copies it has not just ownership rights, but real property rights and can do anything with it - including changing the software at will and formulating offers for support and consulting in order to earn money without paying the authors."

In a further presentation, Loxen will show how to sell open source software confidently and avoid typical contractual pitfalls. This includes the skillful handling of EVB-IT contracts, NDAs, data protection requirements and the Supply Chain Act. Loxen emphasizes that the most important thing is to “play the system” and position yourself in an economically and legally clever way. “Open source offers us a real market advantage and we can assert ourselves confidently."

The Bitkom Forum Open Source will take place in the Arena Erfurt in the Steigerwaldstadion. The forum is also celebrating its 10th edition this year. To mark the occasion, the program includes keynotes, panel discussions and workshops dealing with current developments and future challenges in the open source sector.

Participation in the forum is free of charge, places are limited. Registrations will be accepted until Sept. 6, 2024.