Old-MembershipReference

OWASP Membership Information

=Please Join Us=

We invite you to join us. If you're using OWASP materials in your organization, please support our efforts by becoming a member. All of our materials are free and offered under an open source license, so you do not have to become a member to use them or participate in our projects, mailing lists, conferences, or other activities. Please consider becoming a member and enabling OWASP to continue to provide unbiased tools, documentation, conferences, mailing lists, etc.

To join register and pay online here,

or fill out the OWASP Membership Registration Form and fax (443 583-0772) or e-mail (conferences 'at' owasp.org) it to us. Then send a check to OWASP at the address at the bottom of this page.

=About OWASP=

OWASP is an open source project dedicated to finding and fighting the causes of insecure software. The OWASP Foundation is a not-for-profit 501c3 charitable organization not associated with any commercial product or service. OWASP member companies, educational organizations, government and law enforcement agencies, and individuals from around the world form an application security community that works together to create articles, methodologies, documentation, tools, and technologies (“OWASP Materials”). For more information about OWASP, please see the About The Open Web Application Security Project.

=Benefits of Membership=

Benefits unique to members
 * 1) A OWASP Commercial License to use the materials within your organization without the restrictions associated with the various open source licenses used by the OWASP projects.
 * 2) Visibility for your organization's tangible commitment to application security through its inclusion in the members list on the OWASP website and promotional materials.
 * 3) The right to use the OWASP name and membership mark to show that you are an OWASP Member. Note that the mark must not be used in any way that might indicate that OWASP supports a commercial product or service.
 * 4) Discounts to the OWASP AppSec and other security conferences and events. See the OWASP Member Offers page for the most current discounts available to OWASP Members. NOTE: Some of these discounts are greater than or equal to the cost of an individual OWASP Membership.

Benefits that also apply to all OWASP participants (even non-members)
 * 1) An active voice in the development of OWASP Materials that are becoming widely accepted as an application security standard for all organizations.
 * 2) Timely electronic notification of updates to the OWASP Materials.
 * 3) Collaboration with other highly skilled people from organizations around the world, both virtually and in person during periodic OWASP AppSec conferences and chapter meetings.
 * 4) Authorization to create an account and edit pages on the www.owasp.org website (WIKI based)

=Categories of Membership=

There are several types of OWASP Memberships depending on the type of organization and how the OWASP Materials are used. As a not-for-profit organization, 100% of all membership fees go directly to supporting OWASP's various projects and chapters.

=Current OWASP Members=

=OWASP Membership Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)=

Why Should I Become An OWASP Member?
OWASP provides documentation, tools, methodologies, standards, articles, and message forums (“OWASP Materials”) as a service to Internet users worldwide to help users and developers understand more about application security. OWASP makes these materials available to end users to help them acquire, build, test, and operate secure software. In addition to the benefits you receive as described above, your membership helps to support the growth of OWASP and the development of new and improved OWASP Materials. Because we are an open, non-commercial entity, we can take on projects that commercial entities driven by profit motives could not. Everyone benefits from these projects. Your support will help OWASP continue to find and fight the causes of insecure software.

How Are Funds Used?
OWASP is a 501c3 not-for-profit foundation, and all funds go directly to support OWASP projects, chapters, and infrastructure. Our funds come from conferences, memberships, advertising, and individual contributions.

Who Must Become an OWASP Member?
Memberships are not required to use OWASP materials under each project's open source license. Also, anyone can participate in or contribute to an OWASP project without becoming a member. Membership provides a commercial license to all OWASP Materials for your entire organization. This license will ensure that you can modify, use, and bundle OWASP Materials in applications and documents under a single commercial license. Your membership fees are what make the various OWASP projects possible.

How Can I Become An OWASP Member?
To become an OWASP Member, an individual or organization must: Agree to the terms and conditions of the OWASP Membership Agreement. Pay the appropriate membership fee, depending on what type of OWASP Membership is indicated. (See top of page for both) Keep OWASP updated with accurate contact and business profile information. Enrollment as an OWASP Member is required before a commercial license to use the materials is established. The term of the agreement is one year from the date of execution.

What is OWASP’s licensing model?
OWASP uses a "dual licensing" business model. OWASP Materials are offered under two types of licenses. Anyone can use OWASP materials under the approved open source license associated with each project. Members, however, may also use the OWASP materials under the OWASP Commercial License. Both have full access to the entire range of OWASP Materials and include all source code and documentation.


 * Open Source Licenses: Each OWASP project is licensed under one of the approved open source licenses, such as the GPL, LGPL, and GFDL. Under these licenses, you may be required to contribute changes back to the open source community at large, according to the terms of the applicable open source license.
 * Commercial License for Members: Members in good standing have the right to use the OWASP Materials under the OWASP Commercial License. This is a single license that grants access to all OWASP Materials to an individual member or an entire organization.

Why does OWASP offer two licenses?
OWASP's dual license model allows individuals and organizations the option to use a single license for all OWASP projects. The OWASP Commercial License is free from open source terms that may restrict a member's use of the materials and may require legal analysis. The OWASP membership program is also the best way for organizations to support what OWASP does. As a not-for-profit foundation, OWASP channels all membership fees back into support for its open source user community that, in turn, supports OWASP’s members.

Do I get the same OWASP Materials under either license?
Yes. The OWASP Materials are essentially identical under either license option.

With a commercial license option, is OWASP still an "open source" organization?
Yes, OWASP is an open source organization and is completely committed to open source values and philosophies. All of the OWASP Materials are offered for no cost and with all source code. We believe the open source model of development and distribution is the most efficient way to produce high-quality documentation, tools, and other materials. All OWASP Materials are offered under both open source and commercial license terms.

Are other organizations using the dual licensing business model?
Yes, the dual licensing business model is well established among open source organizations as it paves the way for long-term financial viability. Other companies that offer dual licensing include MySQL, Red Hat, Digium, OSAF, MandrakeSoft, Sleepycat Software, Technical Pursuit, Trolltech, and others.

For more information
Contact: [mailto:owasp@owasp.org owasp@owasp.org]

The OWASP Foundation

9175 Guilford Road, Suite 300

Columbia, MD 21046