Recent Open Source Licensing

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) currently lists 68 approved open source licenses. Sounds like more than enough to suit any needs? Think again. Jilayne Lovejoy, corporate counsel at OpenLogic, says her company has cataoged more than 1,000 licenses. Are all these licenses necessary?

The days of endlessly grepping source code for license and copyright information may be coming to a close. If the new Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) project becomes popular, such information will be commonly available in a standard format that can be read by developers and business executives alike. Currently in late beta, the first version of the SPDX specification is scheduled for release next month.

When you release code under the GNU General Public License (GPL), you undertake a specific set of obligations. Many of these obligations, such as providing a copyright notice and a copy of the GPL version you are using, are relatively simple. However, the obligation to provide source code with the object code is more complex, because you have several choices about how to fulfill it – and the choice you make can cause ongoing problems, especially if you are not set up to administer it. Here are some guidelines to help you make the right choice.

In recent years federal courts across the country have been filled with FOSS-related patent claims. Last month, a verdict in the Bedrock v. Google case renewed calls for reform of the US patent system. What exactly were the issues in this case, and what impact is this verdict likely to have on the open source world?

The world has officially gone app crazy. Almost every leading brand creates apps for both iOS and Android devices, and those mobile apps are being built using open source components. OpenLogic’s research from September 2010 showed that over 88% of Android apps and 41% of iPhone/iPad apps contained some form of open source technology. But although open source components may be freely available, they do still come with a set of obligations that the users of the technology must follow.

Jilayne Lovejoy and Eric Weidner recently sat down for an informative discussion on practical tips for open source license compliance. In addition to the basics — why you should be concerned about complying with open source licenses — Jilayne and Eric also discussed key questions you should ask, best practices from a development standpoint, and building the right team to handle license compliance issues.

From the consumer point of view, Apple’s App Store is a really convenient way to acquire and manage software. Not only does it greatly simplify buying applications, but the App Store remembers what you’ve purchased and allows you to transfer all of the software to new devices. The concept has spread considerably, and is changing the way that many people think about getting software. Unfortunately, it also poses a considerable challenge for developers, projects, and companies that want to utilize reciprocal free software licenses.

How do open source audits work? You probably know what you’re looking for, and why, but the devil is in the details. Here’s how an open source audit works, what you can expect, and how to get best results.

No matter what industry your business is in, you’re almost certainly using open source software. The question is whether you know how you’re using open source, what licenses are in play, and whether you’re meeting all of your license requirements. If you can’t answer all of these questions — and most businesses can’t — you may want to perform an open source audit as a starting point.

While the GPL v3 is a more recognized and established open source license, the recently-released EUPL v1.1 is making waves licensing world. Unique in its encouragement of interoperability, freedom, and lack of license lock-in upon redistribution, the EUPL it represents a divergence from the typical freedoms afforded by GPL and most other OSI-approved licenses.