---
title: "Go REUSE to license your code"
date: 2020-02-02
categories:
  - english
  - presentation
tags:
  - REUSE
  - FSFE
headerimage:
  src: fosdem-2020.jpg
  text: Picture of me giving the presentation at FOSDEM 2020 in Brussels
  alt: Max Mehl during his presentation at FOSDEM 2020 in Brussels
  processes:
    - fill 1000x440 bottom webp
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyAYKROvTO8
slides: https://download.fsfe.org/presentations/20200202-mm-FOSDEM-REUSE.en.pdf
event:
  name: FOSDEM 2020
  href: https://fosdem.org/2020/schedule/event/reuse_code_licensing/
---

At FOSDEM 2020, I presented "Go REUSE to license your code" in the Legal and Policy Issues Devroom. This talk marked an important milestone in the REUSE initiative's evolution, as we were seeing increasing adoption across diverse projects and growing recognition of licensing clarity as a critical aspect of software quality. The presentation encouraged developers to adopt REUSE practices for their own projects, showing that proper licensing doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming.

The talk walked through the three simple REUSE rules and demonstrated hands-on how developers could implement them in their projects. I showcased the REUSE helper tool which automates compliance checking, the REUSE API for displaying compliance badges, and showed real examples from projects that had successfully adopted REUSE. A key message was that REUSE is not only about legal compliance but respect for maintainers, clarity for users, and building a sustainable Free Software ecosystem where licensing information is always clear and accessible.

The discussion after the talk focused on practical questions about edge cases, integration with existing workflows, and how to gradually improve licensing in legacy codebases. This was exactly the kind of community-driven conversation that helps initiatives like REUSE evolve to meet real-world needs.
