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The Open Source Alternative: Understanding Risks and Leveraging Opportunities

The Open Source Alternative: Understanding Risks and Leveraging Opportunities


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About the Book

This book is a user manual for understanding and deployment of open source software licensing in business. Written for lawyers and businesspeople alike, it explains and analyzes open source licensing issues, and gives practical suggestions on how to deal with open source licensing in a business context. Including useful forms, information, and both technical and licensing background, this book will help you avoid legal pitfalls and edcuate your organization about the risks of open source.

Table of Contents:
Preface ix Part one Leveraging opportunities 1 Chapter 1 Introduction: How UNIX Gave Birth to Linux, and a New Software Paradigm 3 In the Beginning Was the Word, and the Word Was UNIX 3 Along Comes Linux 6 Now, What is Open Source? 7 And This is Just the Beginning 9 Chapter 2 Free Software and Open Source 11 Viruses and Freedoms 11 Philosophy of Free Software 13 Open Source Initiative 18 Mozilla Foundation 18 Linus Torvalds 19 Definitions: Free Software and Open Source 21 What’s in a Name? The Viral and the Nonviral 22 Open Source Development Model 25 Chapter 3 Common Open Source Licenses and Their Structure 27 Direct Licensing 29 GPL 29 GPL + Exception (or Special Exception) 39 GPL + FLOSS Exception 40 LGPL 40 Corporate Hereditary Software Licenses 41 Other Hereditary Software Licenses 43 Permissive Licenses 43 Apache 1.0 46 Apache 1.1 46 Apache 2.0 46 Artistic License 46 Miscellaneous Licenses 47 Non-Software Licenses 49 Chapter 4 Due Diligence, License Proliferation, and Compatibility 53 What is the Problem with Combining Software? 53 What is Due Diligence? 54 License Conditions and Diligence Problems 57 License Compatibility 59 Choices in an Incompatible World 62 An Embarrassment of Riches? 66 Reusability 69 Chapter 5 Audits and Compliance Initiatives 71 Provenance and Objective Checking 72 Applying Policy and Legal Review 74 Some Nuts and Bolts 76 Chapter 6 Notice Requirements 83 Chapter 7 Patents and Open Source 89 Patent Debate 89 Patent Portfolio Management 98 Chapter 8 Trademarks and Open Source 109 Trademark Law and Open Source Licensing 109 Trademarks in the Open Source World 111 AT&T UNIX Battle 112 Chapter 9 Open Source and Open Standards 115 Chapter 10 Developing a Corporate Open Source Policy 119 Appendix 10A Open Source Corporate Policy 123 Chapter 11 Open Source Code Releases 135 Choosing a License 136 Effect on Patent Portfolio 139 Effect on Trademarks 140 Open Source Business Models 142 Dual Licensing 143 “Ur-Licensor” and Open Source Decision Models 146 Contribution Agreements 146 Reissuing Code 150 Corporate Organization 150 Appendix 11A Open Source Trademark Policy 153 Part two Understanding risks 159 Chapter 12 Technical Background: Operating System Kernels, User Space, and Elements of Programming 161 What is the difference Between an Application and an Operating System? 163 What is an Operating System Kernel? 164 What is an Application? 165 Dynamic and Static Linking, and Inline Code 166 Header Files 169 Monoliths and Loadable Kernel Modules 170 Chapter 13 Enforcement of Open Source Licenses 171 Past Enforcement 171 Enforcement Obstacles 176 Lack of Track Record: GPL Has Never Been Tested in Court 176 Waiver/Estoppel: Occasional and Selective Enforcement of GPL Means it is Unenforceable 177 Formation: GPL is Not Validly Accepted by Licensees 177 GPL Constitutes Copyright Misuse 178 Joint Work Arguments 179 Standing and Joinder Arguments 180 Chapter 14 The Border Dispute of GPL2 183 Defining the Border Dispute 183 What the GPL Says 184 Rules of Contract Construction 186 Applying the Four Corners Rule to GPL2 188 Applying the Rules of Contract Construction of GPL2 190 Trade Usage and Other Extrinsic Evidence 191 Derivative Works Question 192 The Facts 195 Legal Rules 196 Analyzing the Case of Two Works 200 Is the Result One or Two Works? 205 Policy Arguments 206 Non-U.S. Law Interpretations 207 Approach of Legal Realism 208 Outside the Four Corners 209 Loadable Kernel Modules 212 The Hardest Cases 216 LGPL Compliance 217 Chapter 15 License or Contract? 223 Contract Formation 223 Arguments Supporting Formation 225 Implications of Absence of Contract Formation 226 Incentives for Formation Arguments 229 Chapter 16 Defining Distribution 233 Chapter 17 Open Source in Mergers and Acquisitions and Other Transactions 237 Open Source in Licensing and Commercial Transactions 241 Development Agreements 242 Chapter 18 GPL Version 3.0 245 What is the Effect of the Release of GPL3? 245 Adoption of GPL3 247 Politics and Context 248 “Derivative Works” Problem 251 “Propagation” and “Conveying” 252 Patents 252 Digital Millennium Copyright Act Provisions 255 “Java Problem” 257 Disabling and Obfuscation 257 ASP Problem 258 License Compatibility 259 Chapter 19 LGPL Version 3.0 261 New Approach for LGPL 261 Adoption of LGPL3 261 Politics and Context 262 Definitions 262 Compliance 262 Drawbacks 264 Appendix A Open Source Development Agreement 265 Glossary 277 Index 283

About the Author :
Heather J. Meeker is a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, one of the largest law firms in the United States. Heather has provided open source counseling to clients ranging from technology startups using open source in product development, to public technology companies conducting open source code releases, to venture capitalists assessing new business models in the software industry. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the U.C. Berkeley School of Law, is a member of the American Law Institute, and in 2005, was selected by the Daily Journal as one of the top thirty intellectual property lawyers in California.

Review :
"In her book, Heather Meeker does a good job describing the "border dispute" of the Copyleft provision in the GPL" (ccsblog, March 16th, 2009) "So I would say, this is the book to read, for a good account of the legal aspects surrounding open source." (dw2-o.com, 7/6/08)


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780470194959
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
  • Publisher Imprint: John Wiley & Sons Inc
  • Height: 236 mm
  • No of Pages: 304
  • Returnable: N
  • Sub Title: Understanding Risks and Leveraging Opportunities
  • Width: 163 mm
  • ISBN-10: 0470194952
  • Publisher Date: 11 Apr 2008
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: N
  • Spine Width: 26 mm
  • Weight: 576 gr


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