What to Include in Your Open Source Software Policy and Why | Practical Law

What to Include in Your Open Source Software Policy and Why | Practical Law

Free and open source software (FOSS) has gained increasingly widespread acceptance and use in recent years as an alternative or complement to proprietary software. While FOSS is often made publicly available without charge, this does not mean its use is unrestricted or in the public domain. An organization's failure to adopt policies that ensure its compliance with FOSS license terms places it at risk of potential contract and copyright infringement liability and loss of valuable intellectual property rights.

What to Include in Your Open Source Software Policy and Why

Practical Law Article 1-524-0725 (Approx. 7 pages)

What to Include in Your Open Source Software Policy and Why

by PLC Intellectual Property & Technology
Law stated as of 08 Feb 2013USA (National/Federal)
Free and open source software (FOSS) has gained increasingly widespread acceptance and use in recent years as an alternative or complement to proprietary software. While FOSS is often made publicly available without charge, this does not mean its use is unrestricted or in the public domain. An organization's failure to adopt policies that ensure its compliance with FOSS license terms places it at risk of potential contract and copyright infringement liability and loss of valuable intellectual property rights.