Law

Avoid this common open source scanning error

Jeffrey Robert Kaufman — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:03:00 +0000

Avoid this common open source scanning error Jeffrey Robert… Tue, 07/27/2021 - 03:03

Why do source-code scanners sometimes report incorrect license information?

Pete Townshend, legendary guitar player for British rock band The Who, is well-known for playing suspended chords. Suspended chords add musical tension to a song. For those…

How the Apache Software Foundation selects open source projects

Justin Mclean — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 07:00:00 +0000

How the Apache Software Foundation selects open source projects Justin Mclean Fri, 06/25/2021 - 03:00

The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) is built around a unique set of processes and values to ensure openness.

As a longtime volunteer and mentor (and current board member) at the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) and vice president of the Apache Incubator, I'm proud to offer my…

What Google v. Oracle means for open source

Jeffrey Robert Kaufman — Wed, 05 May 2021 07:00:00 +0000

What Google v. Oracle means for open source Jeffrey Robert… Wed, 05/05/2021 - 03:00

The Supreme Court's decision adds clarity around the fair use of APIs that will help software developers.

Google v. Oracle has finally concluded in a sweeping 6-2 decision by the US Supreme Court favoring Google and adding further clarity on the freedom to use application…

How should open source projects handle copyright notices?

skpeterson — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 07:01:00 +0000

How should open source projects handle copyright notices? skpeterson Tue, 10/20/2020 - 03:01

Keep them simple and invest elsewhere.

Copyright notices in source code are inconsistently applied and poorly maintained. As a result, such notices are poor sources of information. Should more resources be applied…

Is it time to revise the Open Source Definition?

Richard Fontana — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Is it time to revise the Open Source Definition? Richard Fontana Wed, 09/30/2020 - 03:00

Recent developments may strengthen the case for exploring improvements to the OSD.

The Open Source Definition (OSD), maintained by the Open Source Initiative (OSI), is a foundational pillar of the open source movement. The OSI's view is that software validly…

How open source legal teams can get to yes

Jeffrey Robert Kaufman — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 07:01:00 +0000

How open source legal teams can get to yes Jeffrey Robert… Fri, 09/11/2020 - 03:01

Open source law has unusual requirements for success. Learn ways lawyers can help their organizations find a path to open.

As I shared in the first part of this two-part series, I am an open source lawyer for Red Hat. One important part of my job is to provide information to other companies…

3 ways a legal team can enable open source

Jeffrey Robert Kaufman — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 07:01:00 +0000

3 ways a legal team can enable open source Jeffrey Robert… Fri, 08/21/2020 - 03:01

Open source law is unique because of its unusual requirements for success. Learn ways lawyers can get their organizations to "yes".

I am an open source lawyer for Red Hat. One important part of my job is to provide information to other companies, including their in-house counsel, about how Red Hat builds…

Should API-restricting licenses qualify as open source?

Richard Fontana — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 14:01:00 +0000

Should API-restricting licenses qualify as open source? Richard Fontana Tue, 06/30/2020 - 10:01

A look at how a closely-watched legal case about copyright and APIs might affect open source licensing

In its 2014 Oracle v. Google decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that the method declarations and "structure, sequence, and organization"…

Why CLAs aren't good for open source

Richard Fontana — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 08:03:00 +0000

Why CLAs aren't good for open source Richard Fontana Thu, 02/28/2019 - 03:03

Few legal topics in open source are as controversial as contributor license agreements.

Few legal topics in open source are as controversial as contributor license agreements (CLAs). Unless you count the special historical case of the Fedora Project Contributor…

Standards and open source: Why are patents treated differently?

skpeterson — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 08:03:00 +0000

Standards and open source: Why are patents treated differently? skpeterson Tue, 02/26/2019 - 03:03

The difference has consequences for how we structure the development process.

Development of standards specifications and development of open source software have much in common: both are mechanisms by which competitors can collaborate; both can…