Today marks an important milestone for the open source community. As open source software continues to drive innovation across industries, ensuring its relevance and compliance with emerging regulations has never been more critical.
To address these challenges, the Eclipse Foundation is proud to announce the formal launch of the Open Regulatory Compliance (ORC) Working Group. This initiative is designed to ensure that open source remains a powerful force for innovation while meeting the increasingly complex regulatory requirements that commercial organisations face globally.
As previously announced, this initiative has garnered the support of the world’s open source foundations, including Apache Software Foundation, Blender Foundation, FreeBSD Foundation, Matrix.org Foundation, NLnet Labs, OpenInfra Foundation, OWASP, PHP Foundation, Python Software Foundation, Ruby Central, and Rust Foundation. We also have the support of numerous civil society organisations, industry organisations, and SMEs including CodeDay, iJUG, Obeo, Open Elements, OpenForum Europe, Open Source Initiative, Payara Services, Scanoss, and Software Heritage. Today we are also announcing that we have the support of European industry heavyweights Bosch, Mercedes-Benz, Nokia, and Siemens.
This diverse collaboration highlights the industry’s shared commitment to navigating regulatory changes together and ensuring that open source continues to thrive as a pillar of modern technology.
Securing the Future of Open Source Innovation
In an era where businesses rely on open source for mission-critical applications, the ORC Working Group is essential to maintaining the competitive advantage that comes from using and contributing to open source software. As regulations evolve, commercial organisations need a clear path to stay compliant while continuing to innovate. The ORC Working Group addresses this need by helping to formalise industry-aligned best practices, helping companies leverage the full potential of open source without the risk of falling behind on new regulations.
Immediate Focus: The European Cyber Resilience Act
Open source is a cornerstone of global digital innovation, and Europe’s regulatory landscape is playing a pivotal role in shaping its future. The ORC Working Group is committed to ensuring that open source remains a vital part of the world economy, and complying with the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is a critical part of this. Through collaboration with European institutions, the working group is working to facilitate compliance with the CRA and similar regulations, helping businesses and developers alike stay ahead of the curve.
Keeping Innovation Compliant and Secure
With the Cyber Resilience Act as a primary focus, the ORC Working Group is looking to make progress in developing cybersecurity process specifications and best practices to support compliance. Liaison status with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) further strengthens the working group.
Get Involved: Shaping the Future of Open Source Compliance
As the open source ecosystem faces unprecedented regulatory challenges, now is the time for all stakeholders — developers, companies, foundations, and regulatory bodies — to come together and ensure that open source innovation remains sustainable and compliant. The Open Regulatory Compliance (ORC) Working Group offers a unique opportunity to actively shape the future of open source by helping define the standards and best practices that will keep it relevant and competitive in the face of evolving global regulations.
We invite anyone involved in the open source community — whether you’re a developer, legal expert, corporate leader, or part of a standards organisation — to join this critical effort. Your participation will not only help safeguard the future of open source, but also ensure that your organisation stays ahead of the regulatory curve.Join the ORC Working Group and the ORC mailing list today to help define the future of open source compliance.
