In another sign that the project is growing up, we are happy to announce that XBMC is now legally represented by the Software Freedom Law Center. This has been in the works since our introduction at SCALE a few months back and today it is official. From their website:

We provide legal representation and other law-related services to protect and advance Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS). Founded in 2005, the Center now represents many of the most important and well-established free software and open source projects.

This is a huge win for XBMC. As the amount of interest in media centers and HTPCs has grown, the interest in our project has grown as well. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to deal with legal matters such as copyright and trademark, as well as procedural issues like working with sponsors and managing donations. When looking at their services page, it is very clear how much help this will be. In the coming months we will be evaluating the way we operate to ensure that the interests of the developers and the community are protected as much as possible, and that the open spirit of the project continues to thrive.

Thanks to everyone at the SFLC, and a special thanks in advance to our primary counsel Aaron Williamson. For those who are so-inclined, you might consider donating; it’s a great organization.