The Document Foundation (TDF) has stripped more than 30 Collabora staff and partners of their membership in a single action. The move affects seven of LibreOffice's top ten active core committers, according to Collabora. TDF cited new bylaws requiring those affiliated with companies in legal disputes to step down.
The Document Foundation's Membership Committee removed all Collabora-affiliated members, including over 30 developers. Michael Meeks, CEO of Collabora Productivity and a TDF founder, announced the development on April 1. He noted this continues a trend of departures, with several original founders having left and most remaining active founders now serving as paid TDF staff without writing core code. Collabora criticized TDF governance, including board appointments favoring non-technical staff and decisions placing TDF in competition with its largest contributor through revived online code projects. Meeks also highlighted legal actions against former board members funded by donors and inconsistent trademark enforcement around the LibreOffice name. In response, Collabora plans a new Collabora Office built on a cleaner base with less legacy code and a web toolkit, while continuing support for its Classic product. The company invited developers to join via its community page. TDF's Italo Vignoli confirmed the removals, pointing to recently adopted Community Bylaws. These include a clause mandating resignation for those tied to firms in active legal disputes with TDF, aimed at preventing prioritization of employer interests. Neither side detailed the dispute. Vignoli stated such splits occur in free and open-source software communities and emphasized that the MPL license permits Collabora's projects. TDF clarified that revoked membership does not bar contributions and anticipates future Collabora involvement.
