Starting Points for Finding Open Source License Law Resources on the Internet

As Open Source software, such as Linux, continue to surge in popularity, a great deal of attention has been focused on the Open Source model and the Open Source licenses underlying this software. While information on the licenses and legal issues can be found on the Internet, it is scattered in a variety of places and it can be difficult to track down comprehensive sets of information.

That is the reason for this collection of resources, which aims to collect those resources in one convenient place. This page has a dual audience: ( 1 ) those in the legal profession working on projects involving the Open Source licenses and ( 2 ) those working with Open Source programs and code looking for information about legal issues relating to their projects. It is reasonable to expect that we will see much more action involving legal issues and the Open Source licenses. Note: please confirm statements made in linked articles and be aware that some articles may be dated in part and that some links include legal conclusions drawn by non-lawyers and should be evaluated carefully and cautiously. In other words, be a careful reader.

NOTE: I’ve recently deleted a lot of dead links and will be working to add updated links to useful materials.

List of Resources

 

 

 

The primary purpose of this page is to provide a list of helpful links I have found to resources dealing with current issues involving Open Source, Open Source licensing and related legal issues. I welcome suggestions for additions to this page. The inclusion of a resource on this page is not intended to be and should not be construed as an endorsement of any site, product or service or as any indication that the information contained on any other site is accurate or can otherwise be relied upon. This page is not intended to be an advertisement or solicitation for the practice of law. See disclaimer.