JADE

JADE (Java Agent DEvelopment Framework) is a software framework to develop agent-based applications in compliance with the FIPA specifications for interoperable intelligent multi-agent systems. The goal is to simplify the development while ensuring standard compliance through a comprehensive set of system services and agents.
JADE can then be considered an agent middleware that implements an Agent Platform and a development framework. It deals with all those aspects that are not peculiar of the agent internals and that are independent of the applications, such as message transport, encoding and parsing, or agent life-cycle.

Telecom Italia Lab

Telecom Italia Lab is the R&D branch of the Telecom Italia Group and is responsible for promoting technological innovation by scouting new technologies, carrying out and assessing feasibility studies, and developing prototypes and emulators of new services and products.
Telecom Italia has conceived and developed JADE, and originated the Open Source Community in February 2000.

The JADE Board

In March 2003 Motorola and Telecom Italia created the JADE Governing Board organization with the mission of promoting the evolution and the adoption of JADE by the mobile telecommunications industry as a java-based de-facto standard middleware for agent-based applications in the mobile personal communication sector.
The Board will leverage, continue and consolidate the Open-source tradition through the continuous support and involvement of the JADE Open-source Community.
The Board is open and welcomes all companies and organizations that have a concrete business interest in the exploitation of JADE and that commit to its development and promotion

The JADE license and the Open Source Community

"Open source does not just mean access to the source code" - O’Reilly
JADE is Open Source Software since Feb. 2000 (version 1.3) and it is released under the LGPL license.
The LGPL license keeps all contributors to the same level relative to each other and it respects and protects both the users and the authors. In the following you can have a fast and rough idea of rights and duties of this license but, please, refer to the official LICENSE file for more details and legally precise information.
In particular LGPL assures right to:

• make and distribute copies of JADE
• have access to the software’s source code
• make improvements to the program
• incorporate JADE into a proprietary program
• continue the JADE experience even if we stopped it !! (which will not happen, because we will not stop JADE so easily)

The LGPL mandates also some duties, and in particular:

• to not keep modifications private
• not change the license of JADE and its modifications

The Community built around JADE has been growing steadily through the years and it has reached a relevant strength, counting several thousands of Members and downloads of every new release and giving a significant contribution in JADE evolution

FIPA

The Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) is a not-for-profit association registered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its purpose is the promotion of the success of emerging agent-based applications, services and equipment. This goal is pursued by making available in a timely manner, internationally agreed specifications that maximize interoperability across agent-based applications, services and equipment. This is realized through the open international collaboration of member organizations, which are companies and universities active in the agent field. FIPA's specifications are public available. They are not a technology for a specific application, but generic technologies for different application areas, and not just independent technologies but a set of basic technologies that can be integrated by developers to make complex systems with a high degree of interoperability.
JADE implements all those basic FIPA specifications that provide the normative framework within which FIPA agents can exist, operate, and communicate.