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• Source path: knowledge/organizations/ORG-OSI.md
• Source ID: ORG-OSI
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📝 Page Status: Draft — sourced but not yet reviewed

• Status: draft
• Sources: 2
• Relationships: 2
• Research debt items: 5

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Open Source Initiative

Summary

The Open Source Initiative is a non-profit corporation with global scope formed to educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source software.

Verified Facts

• The official about page describes OSI as a non-profit corporation with global scope formed to educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source and to build bridges among different constituencies in the open source community.¹
• The official history page states OSI was jointly founded by Eric Raymond and Bruce Perens in late February 1998, with Raymond as its first president and Perens as vice-president.²
• The initial Board of Directors included Brian Behlendorf, Ian Murdock, Russ Nelson, and Chip Salzenberg.¹
• OSI is the steward of the Open Source Definition, which sets the foundation for the open source software ecosystem.¹

Public Contact Information

• Website: https://opensource.org/
• About: https://opensource.org/about
• Organization: https://opensource.org/organization

Relevance to Open Source and Software Companies

OSI is the authoritative body that maintains the Open Source Definition, which defines what qualifies as an open source license. Companies releasing open source software or using open source licensing benefit from OSI's educational resources, advocacy, and network of affiliate organizations. OSI's work helps establish and protect the legal and community norms around open source.

Relationships

• ORG-OSI cites SRC-OSI-ABOUT.
• ORG-OSI cites SRC-OSI-HISTORY.

Sources

1. SRC-OSI-ABOUT: Open Source Initiative About Page.
2. SRC-OSI-HISTORY: Open Source Initiative History Page.

Research Debt

• Add details on the Open Source Definition and its legal significance.
• Document OSI's affiliate organizations network.
• Add information about license review process relevant to software companies.
• Corroborate self-reported biography or about-page claims with independent sources (institutional profile, court docket, case page, or reputable journalism).
• Review per-fact footnote-to-source mapping; multiple sources are cited on this page.

Document metadata

• Last verified: 2026-06-25

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1. SRC-OSI-ABOUT — Open Source Initiative About Page. Self-reported profile; corroboration pending. ↩↩↩

2. SRC-OSI-HISTORY — Open Source Initiative History Page. Official source; review reliability tier. ↩