ARTICLE
19 January 2017

Open Source Software: What Every In-House Counsel Should Know

BK
Brooks Kushman

Contributor

Since the firms founding in 1983, Brooks Kushman has built a national reputation as a premier intellectual property law firm. We have accomplished this by attracting the best talent, and by working closely with clients to understand how your business really operates and what really drives your company or brand.
Open source software (OSS) is ubiquitous in software development today, enabling technical innovation, productivity gains, and touching everything from big data and cloud to mobile and embedded.
United States Law Department Performance

Open source software (OSS) is ubiquitous in software development today, enabling technical innovation, productivity gains, and touching everything from big data and cloud to mobile and embedded. Control modules on the market today commonly include OSS components such as real-time operating systems, libraries, data interfaces, firmware, and display software.

The use of OSS is favorable, because it decreases the time to market and reduces cost. OSS in products must be distributed subject to certain legal terms and conditions. Engineers, developers and legal teams must understand exactly what OSS is in their products and what license terms it is subject to, what types of OSS is acceptable to their company and customers, how to comply with the applicable OSS license terms, and legal implications resulting from failure to understand and comply with OSS license terms.

During this webcast, we will highlight the advantages of using OSS as well as address the terms and obligations associated with common OSS licenses. The presentation will also provide a road map to compliance.

Topic to cover include:

  • The Open Source Audit and License Identification;
  • Developing a OSS Process/Policy;
  • Compliance;
  • Legal Implications; and
  • Recent Litigation.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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