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The Osmio Open Source Fair Trade Initiative

The Osmio Open Source Fair Trade Initiative

Are you involved in an open source project, program, or app that others are using as a platform from which to generate revenue?
If so, then the Osmio Open Source Fair Trade Initiative will help you share in that revenue stream.

Or are you generating revenue using an open source project, program, or app developed and maintained by others?
If that’s the case then the seal of the Osmio Open Source Fair Trade Initiative on your site, project, program, or app will gain you recognition that your business supports the open source developers that make it possible.


A fundamental premise of open source software is that it’s available for anyone to copy and use. The various open source licenses do impose some requirements; however, to keep the open source community thriving, those who generate revenue through value created by others should give back to that community by sharing a portion of their revenue.

For that reason, the Osmio Open Source Fair Trade Initiative was created to provide a framework for financial recognition of the value created by the developers of open source projects.

If you’re the vendor of a product that generates revenue through the use of open source software, then the use of the graphical seal of the Osmio Open Source Fair Trade Initiative will show your prospects and customers that you deal fairly with the creators of the value that is made available to them.

If you’re the maintainer of an open source project that is used by a vendor or vendors to generate revenue, the Osmio Open Source Fair Trade Initiative will provide a means for you and your community to receive a portion of that revenue to recognize the value that you and your community have created.


The essence of the Initiative

A portion of gross collected revenue which is directly attributable to the project’s open source code is shared according to this formula:

If then the commission is
The project’s code used verbatim as Vendor’s sole product with no significant changes other than identity elements and no indication of the project’s identity 16%
The project’s code used verbatim with no significant changes other than identity elements and no indication of the project’s identity 12%
The project’s code used verbatim with no significant changes other than identity elements but with an indication of the project’s identity 10%
The project’s code used with significant changes 8%
Portions of project’s code used in Vendor’s product 1%-7%

Click here to see the full ordinance.

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Join the Osmio Fair Trade initiative

Joining the Osmio Fair Trade initiative does not obligate you to anything - it just means that you want to be included in our communications. Any commitment to share revenue is made in a separate agreement.