Scope and roles

When does commercial open-source software enter CRA scope?

An open-source licence alone does not decide scope. Document commercial activity, product responsibility and any distinct open-source-steward role.

Prepared by CRA Operations · Updated 2026-09-13 · Hypothetical worked examples

The situation

A team distributes a network utility under an open-source licence. One project is maintained outside commercial activity; another is supplied as a commercial product under the company’s name. Payment, support and governance facts need to be assessed together instead of treating a licence label as an exemption.

Facts that change the answer

  • Is this supply part of commercial activity?
  • Who takes responsibility for releasing the product?
  • Is the organisation a manufacturer, a contributor or an open-source steward?

Compare the worked results

These examples use the published assessment with the assumptions shown below. Change the facts in your own assessment before relying on its result.

Documented non-commercial project

Hypothetical example 1

Assessment resultnon commercial foss outside economic operator scope
Key facts in this example
The supply occurs in the course of a commercial activity
no
Free and open-source software position
non commercial free and open source software
All recorded assumptions (8)
Product, software or service being assessed
Hypothetical example product
How the assessed offering reaches the user
locally installed software
The intended purpose or reasonably foreseeable use includes a direct or indirect logical or physical data connection to a device or network
yes
The offering is supplied for distribution or use on the Union market
yes
The supply occurs in the course of a commercial activity
no
Sector-specific or public-purpose position
no exclusion identified
Free and open-source software position
non commercial free and open source software
Assessed role in the supply chain
manufacturer under own name or trademark

Commercial product under the supplier’s name

Hypothetical example 2

Assessment resultin scope as manufacturer
Key facts in this example
The supply occurs in the course of a commercial activity
yes
Free and open-source software position
free and open source software supplied commercially
All recorded assumptions (8)
Product, software or service being assessed
Hypothetical example product
How the assessed offering reaches the user
locally installed software
The intended purpose or reasonably foreseeable use includes a direct or indirect logical or physical data connection to a device or network
yes
The offering is supplied for distribution or use on the Union market
yes
The supply occurs in the course of a commercial activity
yes
Sector-specific or public-purpose position
no exclusion identified
Free and open-source software position
free and open source software supplied commercially
Assessed role in the supply chain
manufacturer under own name or trademark

Evaluated on 2026-09-13 using EU Cyber Resilience Act scope and economic-operator determination, version 2026.09.02. A completed example is not a customer Record or a declaration of conformity.

Evidence to keep

  • Distribution and commercial model
  • Licence and release-governance record
  • Documented assessment of the organisation’s role

Keep source artifacts in their controlled systems and record their references, responsible owner and review date with the decision.

Your next step

Preserve the commercial-activity reasoning with the scope result. Reassess when the distribution model or responsible organisation changes.

Choose your real product or vulnerability case in the workspace. The selected assessment will be highlighted; example answers are not copied into your record.

Sources and application dates

Manufacturer reporting applies from 11 September 2026. Broader product requirements apply from 11 December 2027; these product-readiness examples support preparation. Open-source-steward obligations have their own application date.

These examples structure a decision and do not replace the Regulation, official guidance or product-specific professional advice. Not lawyer-reviewed.

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